Month: November 2017

+ african american literature, american literature, anne bradstreet, catharine maria sedgwick, early american literature, henry david thoreau, king philip, Literature, lydia maria child, mary rowlandson, native american literature, ralph waldo emerson, samson occom, sarah kemble knight, southern literature, sydney smith, walt whitman, william apess
Chronicling the Rise of A Distinctly American Literature in the Survey Course
Every semester, I discuss how American authors sought to carve out their space in a early-nineteenth century world that countered European cultural and artistic influence. As we read throughout the semester, we encounter numerous authors who either explicitly or indirectly address the question, “How do we construct a distinctly American literature?” For me, this topic arises from the outset of the semester due to … Read More Chronicling the Rise of A Distinctly American Literature in the Survey Course

+ american literature, ben grimm, black panther, comics, fantastic four, jack kirby, Literature, marvel, marvel comics, stan lee, t'challa, wyatt wingfoot
Reader Responses to Black Panther’s Debut
Last post, I wrote about how Stan Lee and Jack Kirby position the audience in Fantastic Four #52-#53. Today, I want to expand upon that discussion some and examine the ways that readers responded to T’Challa’s debut in the letters section a few issues later. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Henry B. Clay III’s praise of Black Panther’s debut; however, not … Read More Reader Responses to Black Panther’s Debut
+ american literature, black panther, comics, fantastic four, graphic novels, jack kirby, marvel comics
Audience Positioning in Black Panther’s 1966 Debut
Recently, I’ve been interested in the narrative point of view in various texts and the ways that authors position an audience within the narrative. On one level, some African American authors like William Melvin Kelley place audiences in the perspective of whites: “The Only Man on Liberty Street,” “The Servant Problem,” and A Different Drummer. Other authors such as Ernest J. Gaines, James Baldwin, … Read More Audience Positioning in Black Panther’s 1966 Debut