Black Manhood In James Baldwin, Ernest J. Gaines, And August Wilson
An analysis of African American male sterotypes and counterexamples within African American literature.
Paper – $30
978-0-252-07195-9
eBook – $29.95
978-0-252-05412-9
Publication Date
Paperback: 01/22/2004
About the Book
From Frederick Douglass to the present, the preoccupation of black writers with manhood and masculinity is a constant. Black Manhood in James Baldwin, Ernest J. Gaines, and August Wilson explores how in their own work three major African American writers contest classic portrayals of black men in earlier literature, from slave narratives through the great novels of Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison.Keith Clark examines short stories, novels, and plays by Baldwin, Gaines, and Wilson, arguing that since the 1950s the three have interrupted and radically dismantled the constricting literary depictions of black men who equate selfhood with victimization, isolation, and patriarchy. Instead, they have reimagined black men whose identity is grounded in community, camaraderie, and intimacy.
Delivering original and startling insights, this book will appeal to scholars and students of African American literature, gender studies, and narratology.
About the Author
Keith Clark is a professor of English and African American Studies at George Mason University. His books include Navigating the Fiction of Ernest J. Gaines: A Roadmap for Readers and The Radical Fiction of Ann Petry, winner of the College Language Association Creative Scholarship Award. He is the editor of Contemporary Black Men's Fiction and Drama.Also by this author
Reviews
"A significant study for helping us hear more clearly the 'voices of countless native and invisible sons'."--American LiteratureRelated Titles
