James Baldwin and Toni Morrison: Comparative Critical and Theoretical Essays Comparative Critical and Theoretical Essays

This collection of comparative critical and theoretical essays examines the reciprocal literary relationship between James Baldwin and Toni Morrison on topics ranging from their use of jazz and the blues, to their critiques of whiteness and their brilliant analyses of America's racial politics. In particular, the essays note those points of convergence and divergence between the two authors and also point to instances where one author signifies on the work of the other or takes up and expands a discussion where the other left off. Contributors range from well-established senior scholars, Trudier Harris and E. Frances White, to emerging international scholars, Anna Kerchy and Keren Omry. This Collection Of Comparative Critical And Theoretical Essays Examines The Reciprocal Literary Relationship Between James Baldwin And Toni Morrison On Topics Ranging From Their Use Of Jazz And The Blues, To Their Critiques Of Whiteness And Their Brilliant Analyses Of America's Racial Politics.--jacket. Introduction: Baldwin And Morrison In Dialogue / Lovalerie King -- Baldwin's Bop 'n' Morrison's Mood: Bebop And Race In James Baldwin's Another Country And Toni Morrison 's Jazz / Anna Kérchy -- Revising Revision: Methodologies Of Love, Desire, And Resistance In Beloved And If Beale Street Could Talk / Michelle H. Phillips -- Revising The Incest Story: Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye And James Baldwin's Just Above My Head / Lynn Orilla Scott -- Watchers Watching Watchers: Positioning Characters And Readers In Baldwin's Sonny Blues And Morrison 's Recitatif / Trudier Harris -- Playing A Mean Guitar: The Legacy Of Staggerlee In Baldwin And Morrison / D. Quentin Miller -- Refiguring The Flesh: The Word, The Body, And The Rituals Of Being In Beloved And Go Tell It On The Mountain / Carol E. Henderson -- Resistance Against Racial, Sexual, And Social Oppression In Go Tell It On The Mountain And Beloved / Babacar M'baye -- Secular Word, Sacred Flesh: Preachers In The Fiction Of Baldwin And Morrison / Keith Byerman -- Unseen Or Unspeakable? Racial Evidence In Baldwin's And Morrison's Nonfiction / Richard Schur -- The Art Of Whiteness In The Nonfiction Of James Baldwin And Toni Morrison / Jonathan Mirin -- The Evidence Of Things Not Seen: The Alchemy Of Race And Sexuality / E. Frances White -- Femininity, Abjection, And (black) Masculinity In James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room And Toni Morrison's Beloved / Keith Mitchell. Edited By Lovalerie King And Lynn Orilla Scott. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. COVER......Page 1 CONTENTS......Page 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 10 INTRODUCTION: BALDWIN AND MORRISON IN DIALOGUE......Page 12 BALDWIN'S BOP 'N' MORRISON'S MOOD: BEBOP AND RACE IN JAMES BALDWIN'S ANOTHER COUNTRY AND TONI MORRISON'S JAZZ......Page 22 NARRATING THE BEAT OF THE HEART, JAZZING THE TEXT OF DESIRE: A COMPARATIVE INTERFACE OF JAMES BALDWIN'S ANOTHER COUNTRY AND TONI MORRISON'S JAZZ......Page 48 REVISING REVISION: METHODOLOGIES OF LOVE, DESIRE, AND RESISTANCE IN BELOVED AND IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK......Page 74 REVISING THE INCEST STORY: TONI MORRISON'S THE BLUEST EYE AND JAMES BALDWIN'S JUST ABOVE MY HEAD......Page 94 WATCHERS WATCHING WATCHERS: POSITIONING CHARACTERS AND READERS IN BALDWIN'S "SONNY'S BLUES" AND MORRISON'S "RECITATIF"......Page 114 PLAYING A MEAN GUITAR: THE LEGACY OF STAGGERLEE IN BALDWIN AND MORRISON......Page 132 REFIGURING THE FLESH: THE WORD, THE BODY, AND THE RITUALS OF BEING IN BELOVED AND GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN......Page 160 RESISTANCE AGAINST RACIAL, SEXUAL, AND SOCIAL OPPRESSION IN GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN AND BELOVED......Page 178 SECULAR WORD, SACRED FLESH: PREACHERS IN THE FICTION OF BALDWIN AND MORRISON......Page 198 UNSEEN OR UNSPEAKABLE? RACIAL EVIDENCE IN BALDWIN'S AND MORRISON'S NONFICTION......Page 216 THE ART OF WHITENESS IN THE NONFICTION OF JAMES BALDWIN AND TONI MORRISON......Page 234 THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN: THE ALCHEMY OF RACE AND SEXUALITY......Page 250 FEMININITY, ABJECTION, AND (BLACK) MASCULINITY IN JAMES BALDWIN'S GIOVANNI'S ROOM AND TONI MORRISON'S BELOVED......Page 272 NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS......Page 298 B......Page 302 C......Page 303 F......Page 304 H......Page 305 L......Page 306 O......Page 307 R......Page 308 S......Page 309 W......Page 310 Y......Page 311 COVER 1 CONTENTS 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 10 INTRODUCTION: BALDWIN AND MORRISON IN DIALOGUE 12 BALDWIN'S BOP 'N' MORRISON'S MOOD: BEBOP AND RACE IN JAMES BALDWIN'S ANOTHER COUNTRY AND TONI MORRISON'S JAZZ 22 NARRATING THE BEAT OF THE HEART, JAZZING THE TEXT OF DESIRE: A COMPARATIVE INTERFACE OF JAMES BALDWIN'S ANOTHER COUNTRY AND TONI MORRISON'S JAZZ 48 REVISING REVISION: METHODOLOGIES OF LOVE, DESIRE, AND RESISTANCE IN BELOVED AND IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK 74 REVISING THE INCEST STORY: TONI MORRISON'S THE BLUEST EYE AND JAMES BALDWIN'S JUST ABOVE MY HEAD 94 WATCHERS WATCHING WATCHERS: POSITIONING CHARACTERS AND READERS IN BALDWIN'S "SONNY'S BLUES" AND MORRISON'S "RECITATIF" 114 PLAYING A MEAN GUITAR: THE LEGACY OF STAGGERLEE IN BALDWIN AND MORRISON 132 REFIGURING THE FLESH: THE WORD, THE BODY, AND THE RITUALS OF BEING IN BELOVED AND GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN 160 RESISTANCE AGAINST RACIAL, SEXUAL, AND SOCIAL OPPRESSION IN GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN AND BELOVED 178 SECULAR WORD, SACRED FLESH: PREACHERS IN THE FICTION OF BALDWIN AND MORRISON 198 UNSEEN OR UNSPEAKABLE? RACIAL EVIDENCE IN BALDWIN'S AND MORRISON'S NONFICTION 216 THE ART OF WHITENESS IN THE NONFICTION OF JAMES BALDWIN AND TONI MORRISON 234 THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN: THE ALCHEMY OF RACE AND SEXUALITY 250 FEMININITY, ABJECTION, AND (BLACK) MASCULINITY IN JAMES BALDWIN'S GIOVANNI'S ROOM AND TONI MORRISON'S BELOVED 272 NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS 298 INDEX 302 A 302 B 302 C 303 D 304 E 304 F 304 G 305 H 305 I 306 J 306 K 306 L 306 M 307 N 307 O 307 P 308 Q 308 R 308 S 309 T 310 U 310 V 310 W 310 X 311 Y 311 This collection of comparative and theoretical essays examines the reciprocal literary relationship between James Baldwin and Toni Morrison on topics ranging from their use of jazz and the blues to their critiques of whiteness and their brilliant analyses of America's racial politics. In particular, the essays note points of convergence and divergence between the two authors and point to instances where one author takes up and expands a discussion where the other leaves off. (Publisher) This collection of comparative critical and theoretical essays examines James Baldwin and Toni Morrison's reciprocal literary relationship. By reading these authors side-by-side, this collection forges new avenues of discovery and interpretation related to their representations of African American and American literature and cultural experience.