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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
In our discourse on race, the subject is often focused upon the struggles black people must endure in our white dominated society. Instead of delving into how black americans are harmed by white American literature, Morrison "averts the critical gaze from the racial object to the racial subject", looking chiefly how the presence of Africans and later African Americans shapes american literature and in turn how white americans view themselves.
This was a profound investigation into " the ways in which a nonwhite, Africanist presence and personae have been constructed in the United States, and of the literary uses this fabricated presence is served"
It was truly eye opening!
This was a profound investigation into " the ways in which a nonwhite, Africanist presence and personae have been constructed in the United States, and of the literary uses this fabricated presence is served"
It was truly eye opening!
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Exceptionally written, an in-depth analysis of 'Africanism' and 'Whiteness' within American so-called canonical literature. The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is the fact that I as I have not yet read all of the mentioned books, sadly I cannot have a complete basis for an opinion on the issues she brings up.
fast-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
fast-paced
“Eddy is white, and we know he is because nobody says so”
challenging
informative
slow-paced
This is short but very dense. I listened to the audiobook and that helped, but I will be picking up a physical copy to reread and take notes. Must read for those studying Literature, especially American Lit or anything post 1500.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
informative
fast-paced
morrison is excellent as always
"For a people who made much of their “newness”—their potential, freedom, and innocence—it is striking how dour, how troubled, how frightened and haunted our early and founding literature truly is."
Playing in the Dark discusses the way that Africanist subjects are utilized to describe and enhance the meaning of whiteness in classic literature. The text showed me a new way to read minor characters that I had never before considered. Interestingly, the work passed no judgements on the authors and books themselves, and often praised novels that I might have deemed bigoted on first reading. Morrison proves not only to be a genius of craft, but a brilliant literary critic as well.