“Critical Consciousness” and Pedagogy in Ernest Gaines’ “The Sky is Gray”

Category: african american literature

During my educational career, I sat in countless classroom regurgitating information back to the one at the head of the classroom who held my grades and my future in their hands. I felt, for the most part, disconnected from any of my experiences or reality. That does not mean that the information I learned did not relate to my life; it just means that … Read More “Critical Consciousness” and Pedagogy in Ernest Gaines’ “The Sky is Gray”

November 7, 2024 + african american literature, catherine carmier, ernest j gaines, louisiana literature, of love and dust

Ernest Gaines’ “Catherine Carmier” at 60

by Matthew Teutsch

This years marks some major anniversaries for some of my favorite writers. Earlier in the year I wrote about the 75th anniversary of Lillian Smith’s memoir Killers of the Dream, and she also has two other major anniversaries this year: the 80th of her debut novel Strange Fruit and the 70th of her next memoir The Journey. Along with these milestones, 2024 also marks the 60th anniversary of Ernest … Read More Ernest Gaines’ “Catherine Carmier” at 60

April 16, 2024 + african american literature, american literature, ernest j gaines, gothic literature, louisiana literature, of love and dust, southern literature

The Most Important Twentieth-Century American Novel

by Matthew Teutsch

Whenever I look I look at a list of the most important twentieth century American novels and novelists, the same names pop up again and again: William Faulkner, Harper Lee, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton, Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison. While each of these authors and their works are important, for various reasons, I do not see any of them as penning the quintessential twentieth … Read More The Most Important Twentieth-Century American Novel

February 13, 2024 + african american literature, all the sinners bleed, american literature, ernest j gaines, Literature, s.a. cosby, southern literature, the autobiography of miss jane pittman

Literary Influences in S.A. Cosby’s “All the Sinners Bleed”

by Matthew Teutsch

Recently, I wrote about some of the ways that S.A. Cosby addresses religion and faith in his recent novel All the Sinners Bleed. Today, I want to look at another aspect of his novel that stood out to me, namely the ways that he examines the roots of enslavement and racism buried deep within the soil of Charon, the South, and the nation. He does this … Read More Literary Influences in S.A. Cosby’s “All the Sinners Bleed”

October 18, 2023 + african american literature, ernest j gaines, louisiana, of love and dust, southern literature

The Structure of Oppression in Ernest Gaines’ “Of Love and Dust”

by Matthew Teutsch

When teaching Ernest Gaines’ Of Love and Dust (1967) this semester, I asked students to think about the hierarchy within the novel. When constructing the hierarchy, students constructed in a horizontal manner, with Marshall Hebert at the top, Sidney Bonbon on the rung beneath him, Louise beneath Bonbon, Pauline beneath Louise, then the Black residents of the plantation on the bottom rung. On the … Read More The Structure of Oppression in Ernest Gaines’ “Of Love and Dust”

Interminable Rambling

“Critical Consciousness” and Pedagogy in Ernest Gaines’ “The Sky is Gray”

Category: african american literature