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| Author | Vincent Woodard |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Slavery in the United States Human cannibalism Homoeroticism |
| Publisher | New York University Press |
Publication date | June 27, 2014 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 311 |
| Awards | Lambda Literary Award (2015) |
| ISBN | 978-0-8147-9461-6 |
| OCLC | 6022079309 |
| LC Class | E443 .W67 2014 |
The Delectable Negro: Human Consumption and Homoeroticism within U.S. Slave Culture is a 2014 book by Vincent Woodard. The book explores the homoeroticism of both literal and figurative acts of human cannibalism that occurred during slavery in the United States.
Woodard examines the sexual nature of documented instances of flesh-eating, and details the various manners of consumption whereby Black Americans were metaphorically or actually eaten. In the book, Woodard defines consumption as a range of parasitic practices, including institutionalized hunger, seasoning rituals, and sexual modes of consumption.
The Delectable Negro draws on Works Progress Administration interviews, advertisements for runaway slaves, and slave narratives. The book includes textual analyses of the works of Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass as well as an examination of the treatment of Nat Turner, whose flesh was turned into "medicinal" grease.[1]
Woodard died in 2008 and never saw The Delectable Negro published. It won the 2015 Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Studies.