Task 1: essential information about the film and the literary work.

Regarding the literary work:

• Author's name (and any relevant information about the author's career):
Solomon Northup. He was a black American who was born free and who was
kidnapped in 1841 to be enslaved, he obtained his freedom in 1853.
• Date and place of publication: 1853, New York.
• Literary movement or period in which it can be inscribed: Realism.
• Genre: autobiographical memory and narrative.
• Any relevant stylistic features: there is a first-person narration by Solomon
Northup.
o Personification: Solomon attributes human qualities to his violin.
o Paradox: despite the harsh treatment received, he does not criticize his
masters so much, he argues that it is a society fault.
o Parallelism: in that case, there are parallels between two characters in the
story, one is the protagonist, Solomon and the other is Daniel, a Biblical
character. This comparison is made by Ford, the master who treats Solomon
well, since in the Bible Daniel survives from the lions with the help of God;
with this, he wanted to highlight the idea that slaves need a miracle in order
to live happily.
o Besides, there are some allusions such as the Declaration of Independence in
terms of life, freedom, and the searching of happiness as well as "all men are
created equal".
• Key issues (themes or main topics): slavery and racism.
• The status this work has in the literary tradition: Is it a popular work? Or a
canonical text? It is a popular work.
• Is it well-known around the world or only in a specific time/place? It is a famous
work around the world, because more than 30000 books were sold.

About the literary adaptation:

• The director's name: Steve McQueen
• Release date: August 30, 2013
• Screenwriter's name: John Ridley
• Main crew (actors and actresses playing the main roles): Chiwetel
Ejiofor (Solomon Northup); Michael Fassbender (Edwin Epps); Benedict
Cumberbatch (William Ford); Lupita Nyong'o (Patsey); Sarah Paulson (Mary
Epps); Brad Pitt (Samuel Bass); …
• Existence of other versions of the same literary work (if they exist): there is no
other version of the film.

Miriam Del Moral Torres.

Carlos Jurado Herrera.
Ismael Moruno Chaves.
María Concepción Lisedas Gil.
12 Years a Slave, Solomon Northup (1853) - Ibid, Steve McQueen (2013).