Category: african americans

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+ african american literature, african americans, blues for mister charlie, drama, emmett till, james baldwin, meridian henry, richard henry

Poison in James Baldwin’s “Blues for Mister Charlie”

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If you enjoy what you read here at Interminable Rambling, think about making a contribution on our Patreon page.  This semester, I’m teaching James Baldwin’s Blues for Mister Charlie (1964). As I reread Baldwin’s play, a couple of items stuck out to me. The first item that caught my attention was the continual references to poison or disease throughout the text, in relation to … Read More Poison in James Baldwin’s “Blues for Mister Charlie”

+ africa, african american literature, african americans, american literature, frank yerby, louisiana literature, new orleans, southern literature, the foxes of harrow, the saracen blade

Multicultural Cities in Frank Yerby

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Throughout his oeuvre, Frank Yerby works to deconstruct myths of the Old South and historical misinformation. Along with these goals, he also dismantles the dichotomy of Black and White; instead, he populates his works with individuals and scenes that defy a simplistic characterization. In this manner, Yerby shows that race is not a biological fact; rather, it is a social construct. One of the … Read More Multicultural Cities in Frank Yerby

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+ african american literature, african americans, alice dunbar-nelson, attica locke, children of strangers, creole, ernest j gaines, george washington cable, gothic literature, kindred, Kristen Imani Kasai, lyle saxon, octavia butler, southern gothic, the cutting season, The House of Erzulie

The Past in Kirsten Imani Kasai’s “The House of Erzulie”

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Note: You can win a copy of Kasai’s The House of Erzulie. Just tweet or retweet this post (make sure to tag me so I know you Tweeted it  @silaslapham). The winner will be chosen randomly at noon Saturday January 13.   Recently, I had the chance to read Kirsten Imani Kasai‘s The House of Erzulie (Feburary 2018 Shade Mountain Press), a novel that, on the … Read More The Past in Kirsten Imani Kasai’s “The House of Erzulie”

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+ african american literature, african americans, american literature, benton's row, buford, cindy, frank yerby, Literature, louisiana literature, mary ann benton, myth, paine college, sarah benton, southern history, southern literature, southern studies, southern womanhood, the foxes of harrow, the old south, tom benton, Uncategorized, wade benton

Frank Yerby’s Benton’s Row and Southern Womanhood

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In its review (above) of Frank Yerby's Benton's Row (1954), Jet Magazine mentions the novel's early narrative arc that follows Tom Benton's arrival in the Louisiana community and his relationship with Sarah. The reviewer comments that Tom "is not at all unlike all the other Yerby heroes" and that "in the typical Yerby mold [Tom] emerges as a thoroughgoing rascal, an opportunist who seizes what … Read More Frank Yerby’s Benton’s Row and Southern Womanhood

+ african american literature, african americans, american literature, Literature, mississippi literature, richard wright, Uncategorized, uncle tom's children, uncle tom's children. afircan american literature, when the roll in called up yonder

“When the Roll is Called Up Yonder” in Richard Wright’s “Long Black Song”

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As I reread Richard Wright’s “Long Black Song” from Uncle Tom’s Children (1938), I again thought about the role of music in Wright’s work. I have written about this before in relation to the epigraph for Wright’s collection and in relation to the song that appears in “Big Boy Leaves Home.” Today, I want to briefly look at the way that the hymn “When … Read More “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder” in Richard Wright’s “Long Black Song”

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