The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer

Oscar MicheauxProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.7

Word count: 449K words
Chapters: 45

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer by Oscar MicheauxAuthor: Micheaux, Oscar, 1884-1951,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 24, 2012

Editor's review

This is an English novel by Oscar Micheaux and a public-domain literary work. The title's "Negro Pioneer" points to the book's core: through a pioneer's settler experience, it tells a story of taking root, making a living, and struggling in an unfamiliar land. Micheaux's writing often carries autobiographical overtones and focuses on individual striving against the backdrop of the American Midwest and Western settlement; the value of this work lies not only in plot but in the literary window it offers onto the lived experience of early Black pioneers. As you read, attend to the multiple meanings of "conquest": breaking land, contending with fate, and striving for identity and dignity. As a public-domain e-book, it is easy to obtain and makes useful supplementary reading for those interested in American literature, settlement narratives, and questions of racial experience. Note that the work carries the context and narrative perspective of its time; readers should maintain a historicized reading attitude, understanding the text's situation without taking a single narrative as the whole of history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in American settlement narratives and Western-themed literature
Literature lovers drawn to early writing on Black lived experience
General readers looking to explore public-domain American fiction and broaden their reading
Readers who need to study autobiographical narrative techniques

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast-paced plots and strong suspense
Beginners who need extensive annotations and historical background guidance
Readers expecting contemporary urban themes or light entertainment

Reading tips

Gain a basic understanding of the American settlement era before entering the text; this helps make sense of the characters' choices.
As you read, notice the echoes between the narrator's voice and the author's experience, and distinguish fictional invention from historical fact.
Keep a brief list of characters and places to clarify the stages and turning points of the settlement process.
After finishing, compare with other public-domain sources rather than treating a single text as the whole of history.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book an autobiography or a novel?

Sources classify it as a novel, titled The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer. Micheaux's writing often carries autobiographical overtones, but it should be read as a literary text; do not take every episode as a literal record of the author's life. For historical fact, consult separate historical sources.

How should "Conquest" in the title be understood?

It can be read on several levels: the opening up of land and livelihood, a person's struggle against fate in hardship, and the striving for identity and dignity. As you read, notice how the object of "conquest" shifts and how the narrator regards success and its costs; this helps grasp the work's thematic tension.

Will it be difficult to read without a background in American history?

There is some barrier. Background on settlement, land management, and racial experience affects comprehension. It is advisable to read a brief introduction to the history of American Western settlement before entering the text, and to look up unfamiliar institutions or place names as needed. If you need detailed annotations, choose an edition with an introduction and notes.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Oscar Micheaux Author · American · 1884–1951

Oscar Micheaux (1884–1951) was an African American writer and film pioneer, born in Metropolis, Illinois. He published novels at his own expense, including The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer, The Homesteader, and The Forged Note: A Romance of the Darker Races. His work centers on the survival, striving, and questions of identity faced by Black pioneers in the West and in cities, and is marked by a strongly autobiographical voice and accessible storytelling. In 1919 he brought his novel The Homesteader to the screen, becoming the first African American to direct a feature-length film, and he went on to produce more than forty films over his lifetime. In both literature and cinema he opened a path for African American self-expression, and his work remains important material for the study of early Black narrative and independent film.