The African American Male, Writing, and Difference : A Polycentric Approach to African American Literature, Criticism, and History

Argues that a "racial uplift" approach to African-American literature fails to appreciate the rich diversity of African American experience. THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE, WRITING, AND DIFFERENCE......Page 4 Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 14 1. Introduction: Approaching African American Life, History, Literature, and Criticism Polycentrically......Page 16 2. History, the White/Black Binary, and the Construction of the African American as Other......Page 28 3. The White/Black Binary and the African American Sociopolitical Mission of Racial Uplift......Page 50 4. Finding Freedom in Sameness: James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man......Page 82 5. Disrupting the White/Black Binary: William Melvin Kelley’ s A Different Drummer......Page 108 6. Exposing Limiting, Racialized Heterological Critical Sites: An Existential Reading of Charles Wright’s The Messenger......Page 134 7. The Blues Idiom Lifestyle, Counter-Hegemony, and Clarence Major’s Dirty Bird Blues......Page 162 8. Naming the Subaltern: The Swinging Life and Nathan Heard’s Howard Street......Page 186 9. Identity Politics, Sexual Fluidity, and James Earl Hardy’s B-Boy Blues......Page 214 10. Voodoo, A Different African American Experience, and Don Belton’s Almost Midnight......Page 240 11. Conclusion......Page 268 2. History, the White/Black Binary, and the Construction of the African American as Other......Page 272 3. The White/Black Binary and the African American Sociopolitical Mission of Racial Uplift......Page 275 4. Finding Freedom iN Sameness: James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man......Page 284 9. Identity Politics, Sexual Fluidity, and James Earl Hardy’s B-Boy Blues......Page 285 10. Voodoo, A Different African American Experience, and Don Belton’ s Almost Midnight......Page 286 WORKS CITED......Page 288 B......Page 298 C......Page 299 F......Page 300 H......Page 301 K......Page 302 N......Page 303 S......Page 304 V......Page 305 Z......Page 306 THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE, WRITING, AND DIFFERENCE 4 Contents 8 Preface 10 Acknowledgments 14 1. Introduction: Approaching African American Life, History, Literature, and Criticism Polycentrically 16 2. History, the White/Black Binary, and the Construction of the African American as Other 28 3. The White/Black Binary and the African American Sociopolitical Mission of Racial Uplift 50 4. Finding Freedom in Sameness: James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man 82 5. Disrupting the White/Black Binary: William Melvin Kelley’ s A Different Drummer 108 6. Exposing Limiting, Racialized Heterological Critical Sites: An Existential Reading of Charles Wright’s The Messenger 134 7. The Blues Idiom Lifestyle, Counter-Hegemony, and Clarence Major’s Dirty Bird Blues 162 8. Naming the Subaltern: The Swinging Life and Nathan Heard’s Howard Street 186 9. Identity Politics, Sexual Fluidity, and James Earl Hardy’s B-Boy Blues 214 10. Voodoo, A Different African American Experience, and Don Belton’s Almost Midnight 240 11. Conclusion 268 NOTES 272 2. History, the White/Black Binary, and the Construction of the African American as Other 272 3. The White/Black Binary and the African American Sociopolitical Mission of Racial Uplift 275 4. Finding Freedom iN Sameness: James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man 284 9. Identity Politics, Sexual Fluidity, and James Earl Hardy’s B-Boy Blues 285 10. Voodoo, A Different African American Experience, and Don Belton’ s Almost Midnight 286 WORKS CITED 288 Index 298 A 298 B 298 C 299 D 300 E 300 F 300 G 301 H 301 I 302 J 302 K 302 L 303 M 303 N 303 O 304 P 304 Q 304 R 304 S 304 T 305 U 305 V 305 W 306 Z 306 Annotation In this wide-ranging analysis, W. Lawrence Hogue argues that African American life and history is more diverse than even African American critics generally acknowledge. Focusing on literary representations of African American males in particular, Hogue examines works by James Weldon Johnson, William Melvin Kelley, Charles Wright, Nathan Heard, Clarence Major, James Earl Hardy, and Don Belton to see how they portray middle-class, Christian, subaltern, voodoo, urban, jazz/blues, postmodern, and gay African American cultures. Hogue shows that this polycentric perspective can move beyond a "racial uplift" approach to African American literature and history and help paint a clearer picture of the rich diversity of African American life and culture

examining The Literary Depictions Of African American Men, Hogue (english, University Of Houston) Stresses The Diversity Of The African American Experience. Among The Texts Discussed Are Johnson's Autobiography Of An Ex-coloured Man, Kelley's Different Drummer, Wright's Messenger, Major's Dirty Bird Blues, And Belton's Almost Midnight. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, Or