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Black Manhood in James Baldwin, Ernest J. Gaines, and August Wilson

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Examining the various standardized portrayals of the black man in African American literature and the counterexamples Baldwin/Gaines/Wilson provided in their literature.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.
''With grace and clarity, Clark succeeds in his stated goal: 'to extrapolate the intersection between subjectivity and masculinity, exploring how male writers have negotiated and critiqued constructions of gender in formulating and depicting black male literary subjects.' The study is overall smart and convincing... his study is so valuable and important that it leaves the reader wanting more.'' D. Quentin Miller, African American Review ''A significant study for helping us hear more clearly the 'voices of countless native and invisible sons'.'' American Literature
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