Literary Glance- James: A Novel by Percival Everett
When I first saw the cover of James: A Novel by Percival Everett, I thought, ‘What a lazy title. Who the hell is James, and why would I want to read a novel about him?’
Then when I read about the premise of the book, I thought, ‘I’ve already read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. If I’m going to read The Adventure of James, I want to read Mark Twain’s version.’
Except Mark Twain didn’t write a novel about Jim.
A part of me thinks it’s cool that somebody is writing pastiche fiction about Mark Twain characters. I’m not usually a fan of pastiche fiction, but at least the author chose a character that doesn’t have his/her own book yet.
I don’t, however, normally read pastiche fiction. Any Conan the Barbarian story written by somebody other than Robert E. Howard is just a story about another barbarian who happens to be named Conan. Any James Bond story written by an author other than Ian Fleming is just a story about a random spy who happens to be named James Bond. Any Sherlock Holmes story written by somebody other than…. You get the idea.
Out of curiosity, I started reading James: A Novel. It was okay. It’s easier to read than The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I kind of rolled my eyes when James and the slaves started speaking in perfect English when nobody else was around. That kind of thing works for a high school skit (depending on the high school, I guess), but it’s an eye roll for a serious novel.
Maybe Percival Everrett just didn’t want to write dialect (I have no proof to back that up). Dialect is a pain to write, and people don’t like reading it. Readers probably appreciate how straight forward the writing in James: A Novel is. And maybe they like the idea of slaves speaking perfect grammar when nobody else is around.
Or maybe I’m wrong. Maybe slaves did speak perfect English when their owners weren’t around. I admit that I have astonishing gaps in my knowledge. Maybe I’m the only person who doesn’t know about this historical tidbit.
What’s more likely? Percival Everett didn’t want to write dialect? Or that slaves spoke perfect English when nobody else was around? I’m not qualified to answer that question.
I’ll also admit that I’m not the best judge of what works and what doesn’t work for serious novels (literary fiction). I hardly ever read serious novels. I like to read stuff that’s actually good (by ‘good,’ I mean ‘entertaining’).
Is James: A Novel worth reading? That depends. Do you think James: A Novel is a lazy title? Are you glad that the author didn’t use a lot of dialect in the narration and dialogue? Do you mind reading about a Mark Twain character in a book that’s not written by Mark Twain? If you answered “yes” and “no” to some of the previous questions, you might enjoy James: A Novel.
*****
My ONE novel might not be considered serious fiction, but at least it doesn’t have a lazy title. I worked hard on that title.
*****
A grammar-obsessed English teacher falls in ‘luuuvvv’ but discovers how chaotic and dangerous ‘luuuvvv’ can be.
The Sunset Rises: A 1990s Romantic Comedy
Get a signed copy of my one and only novel, The Sunset Rises: A 1990s Romantic Comedy. My handwriting is actually legible, but I’m left-handed, so I might smudge my signature sometimes. Free delivery in the United States!
$10.00
Or you can buy a copy here on Amazon!
Here’s more Literary Glance!
Literary Glance: The Murder House by James Patterson
Literary Glance: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Literary Glance: It by Stephen King
Dysfunctional Literacy 
I put the question to AI. Here is what chatgpt had to say: In “James” by Percival Everett, the slaves speak in perfect English when no white people are around as a form of resistance and self-preservation. This contrast between their private and public speech reflects a deliberate performance—when in the presence of white people, they adopt stereotypical, broken English to conform to expectations and avoid suspicion or punishment. However, in private, they reveal their true intelligence, eloquence, and understanding of the world.
This linguistic duality serves as a powerful commentary on the perception of Black intelligence and the necessity of coded behavior in oppressive systems. It underscores themes of agency, subversion, and the complexities of surviving within a racist society.
Disclaimer: I don’t condone people getting such answers from AI. I was just curious what it would say.
That was definitely an explanation.
I might ask it if James: A Novel is a lazy title.
“James” strikes me as something like “Ulysses”, at least insofar as the title is concerned. Dialect is a bit strange when you first start reading something, but I don’t mind it.
At least James: A Novel is a lot easier to read than Ulysses. That kind of thing is important to a guy like me.
Fair enough! Entertainment is important; in college, one of my professors said something to the effect of “We read to learn, we don’t read for escapism.” I thought to myself “… but I’ve always read for escapism.” English Major Life was a struggle haha.