The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave

Pringle’s Preface is a standard and important element of the narratives of enslaved people that were circulating in England and the US in the 18th and 19th centuries. One can find very similar prefaces in both smaller, fairly obscure narratives and in more iconic ones, such as Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845). They are commonly written by a white abolitionist who vouches for the text’s narrator, the formerly enslaved person. These prefaces serve the purpose of authentication for a white public that the narrator hopes to convince of the evils of enslavement. Because narratives like Prince’s were published with the greater political objective of abolition, it was important to establish confidence in their narrator. If the narrator were seen as untrustworthy in any way, this would undermine the text and the aims of the abolitionist movement.

Pringle’s Preface fulfills its authenticating role in several ways. First, he explains how the text came to be, attributing the original idea to Prince herself. In doing this, he underscores that the narrative is from a real person who was formerly enslaved. By suggesting that sharing this text was her idea, he also dispels any possibility that the text could be the product of coercion, which would undermine the integrity of the narrative. 

Additionally, Pringle mentions the “Supplement,” which includes a letter from Prince’s former enslaver. This document serves as another form of authenticating the text. Thus, by referencing it, Pringle calls upon that document to corroborate his; likewise, by positioning it in relationship to Pringle’s Preface, Pringle supports the legitimacy of the “Supplement.”

In this Preface, Pringle must strike a careful balance between emphasizing his presence as a trustworthy authority and foregrounding Prince as the true and authentic author of the text. On one hand, Pringle must establish his own authority as a trustworthy authenticator by mentioning the Anti-Slavery Society. When The History of Mary Prince was published, Pringle was serving as the organization’s secretary. On the other hand, he must also defer to Prince’s authority as an author. He is insistent that the transcribed text is as close to Prince’s spoken words as is possible and reasonable. While Pringle cannot avoid the mediated nature of the text, he downplays that aspect of it in an effort to reinforce the story’s authenticity. 

Next, Pringle makes clear that he scrutinized and fact-checked Prince’s narrative after it was written. Again, this serves to inspire confidence in the text and encourage the reader to trust what they are about to read. His reference to Joseph Phillips, who previously lived in Antigua and knew Prince, further corroborates her account by providing additional validation of her identity. 

Pringle also establishes himself and Prince as empathetic and morally upright people. When he first mentions Prince, she calls her prospective readers “good people in England,” a remark designed to endear them to her through flattery and cultivate goodwill. Also, when Pringle explains that he omitted the full names of deceased individuals out of respect for their surviving family members, he demonstrates kindness. By presenting himself and Prince as people of good moral character, Pringle further encourages the text’s positive reception.

Finally, he corroborates his prefatory note by including his typed signature. Indeed, his signature appears twice: immediately after the main body of the Preface and again after his postscript about the appended “Narrative of Asa-Asa.” By openly associating himself with Prince and her narrative, he reinforces her authenticity and solicits readers’ trust before they begin consuming the narrative.

This Preface is important for framing The History of Mary Prince. As Pringle states, the narrative’s intended audience was people in English: “She wished it to be done, she said, that good people in England might hear from a slave” (iii). In the pre-emancipation sociopolitical landscape of the 19th century, white readers were likely to be unfamiliar with Black-authored texts and with the perspective of a Black person. Slavery was already abolished in England at the time, but it was still actively practiced in the colonies, and racial prejudice persisted on the mainland. Despite its context in which enslaved Black people were perceived as objects by many British people, The History of Mary Prince asks its readers to understand Prince as a thinking and feeling subject. Therefore, Pringle’s Preface serves a transitional purpose, preparing white English readers for what is likely to be an unfamiliar reading experience and easing them into the narrative proper.