Representing the Race

A New Political History of African American Literature

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Black, American, Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies
Cover of the book Representing the Race by Gene Andrew Jarrett, NYU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gene Andrew Jarrett ISBN: 9780814743409
Publisher: NYU Press Publication: August 8, 2011
Imprint: NYU Press Language: English
Author: Gene Andrew Jarrett
ISBN: 9780814743409
Publisher: NYU Press
Publication: August 8, 2011
Imprint: NYU Press
Language: English

The political value of African American literature has long been a topic of great debate among American writers, both black and white, from Thomas Jefferson to Barack Obama. In his compelling new book, Representing the Race, Gene Andrew Jarrett traces the genealogy of this topic in order to develop an innovative political history of African American literature. Jarrett examines texts of every sort—pamphlets, autobiographies, cultural criticism, poems, short stories, and novels—to parse the myths of authenticity, popular culture, nationalism, and militancy that have come to define African American political activism in recent decades. He argues that unless we show the diverse and complex ways that African American literature has transformed society, political myths will continue to limit our understanding of this intellectual tradition.
Cultural forums ranging from the printing press, schools, and conventions, to parlors, railroad cars, and courtrooms provide the backdrop to this African American literary history, while the foreground is replete with compelling stories, from the debate over racial genius in early American history and the intellectual culture of racial politics after slavery, to the tension between copyright law and free speech in contemporary African American culture, to the political audacity of Barack Obama’s creative writing. Erudite yet accessible, Representing the Race is a bold explanation of what’s at stake in continuing to politicize African American literature in the new millennium.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The political value of African American literature has long been a topic of great debate among American writers, both black and white, from Thomas Jefferson to Barack Obama. In his compelling new book, Representing the Race, Gene Andrew Jarrett traces the genealogy of this topic in order to develop an innovative political history of African American literature. Jarrett examines texts of every sort—pamphlets, autobiographies, cultural criticism, poems, short stories, and novels—to parse the myths of authenticity, popular culture, nationalism, and militancy that have come to define African American political activism in recent decades. He argues that unless we show the diverse and complex ways that African American literature has transformed society, political myths will continue to limit our understanding of this intellectual tradition.
Cultural forums ranging from the printing press, schools, and conventions, to parlors, railroad cars, and courtrooms provide the backdrop to this African American literary history, while the foreground is replete with compelling stories, from the debate over racial genius in early American history and the intellectual culture of racial politics after slavery, to the tension between copyright law and free speech in contemporary African American culture, to the political audacity of Barack Obama’s creative writing. Erudite yet accessible, Representing the Race is a bold explanation of what’s at stake in continuing to politicize African American literature in the new millennium.

More books from NYU Press

Cover of the book Boricua Power by Gene Andrew Jarrett
Cover of the book Aftermath by Gene Andrew Jarrett
Cover of the book The Assemblies of God by Gene Andrew Jarrett
Cover of the book Words Made Flesh by Gene Andrew Jarrett
Cover of the book Female Intelligence by Gene Andrew Jarrett
Cover of the book September 12 by Gene Andrew Jarrett
Cover of the book Tierra y Libertad by Gene Andrew Jarrett
Cover of the book The Brooklyn Cyclones by Gene Andrew Jarrett
Cover of the book Leg over Leg by Gene Andrew Jarrett
Cover of the book Forging Napoleon's Grande Armée by Gene Andrew Jarrett
Cover of the book Take Charge! by Gene Andrew Jarrett
Cover of the book Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded by Gene Andrew Jarrett
Cover of the book Law on Display by Gene Andrew Jarrett
Cover of the book Abstractionist Aesthetics by Gene Andrew Jarrett
Cover of the book Fighting over the Founders by Gene Andrew Jarrett
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy