Black manhood in James Baldwin, Ernest J. Gaines, and August Wilson
Keith Clark (Author)
Publisher's description: 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
Criticism, interpretation, etc
x, 164 pages ; 24 cm
9780252027277, 9780393703801, 9780252071959, 0252027272, 0393703800, 0252071956
47665572
CoverTitleCopyrightContentsAcknowledgments1. Countering the Counterdiscourse: Subject Formation and the Aesthetics of Black Masculinist Protest Discourse since 19402. The Perilous Journey to a Brother’s Country: James Baldwin and the Rigors of Community3. Reimagining Richard: Ernest J. Gaines and the Neo-Masculinist Literary Imagination4. Race, Ritual, Reconnection, Reclamation: August Wilson and the Refiguration of the Male Dramatic SubjectConclusionNotesWorks CitedIndexBack cover