Category: american literature

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“African American Literature and the American South” Syllabus

Occasionally, I post syllabi ideas here on the blog. Today, I want to share a syllabus I have been thinking about recently entitled “African American Literature and the American South.” The South, as a geographic and imaginary space, looms large in the works of not just African American authors but in writers of all ethnic backgrounds from the United States. Maryemma Graham discusses the … Read More “African American Literature and the American South” Syllabus

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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

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

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Jonathan Edwards’ Personal Narrative and Language

Last year, I wrote about presenting students with a different view of Jonathan Edwards. Rather than just showing him as a religious figure, it is important to highlight the varied places where religion and science overlap in his writing. This semester, I taught Edwards’ Personal Narrative (1739) again, and while I stressed the intersections between science and religion, I also discussed Edwards use of language … Read More Jonathan Edwards’ Personal Narrative and Language

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Frederick Douglass’ Rhetorical Rebuttals of Stereotypes

Over the past couple of semesters, I have taught Frederick Douglass’ What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? instead of teaching his narrative. I do this for a couple of reasons. One, I assign Solomon Northup’s Twelve Years a Slave, and during discussions about Northup, I bring in Douglass’ narrative and Harriett Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl because … Read More Frederick Douglass’ Rhetorical Rebuttals of Stereotypes