August Wilson : a casebook / edited by Marilyn Elkins.

Format:

• Book

Contributor:

• Elkins, Marilyn Roberson.

Series:

• Garland reference library of the humanities ; vol. 1626.
• Garland reference library of the humanities. Casebooks on modern dramatists ; vol. 15.
• Garland reference library of the humanities ; vol. 1626. Casebooks on modern dramatists ; vol.15

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

• Wilson, August--Criticism and interpretation.
• Wilson, August.
• Historical drama, American--History and criticism.
• Historical drama, American.
• African Americans in literature.
• Criticism and interpretation.

Physical Description:

xxii, 257 pages ; 23 cm.

Edition:

First paperback edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Garland, 2000.

Summary:

The only African American playwright to win the Pulitzer Prize twice, Wilson has yet to receive the critical attention that he merits. With 12 original essays, this volume provides a thorough introduction to his body of work. It investigates such thematic, artistic, and ideological concerns as his use of the South and the black human body as metaphors; his collaboration with Lloyd Richards; the influence of the blues, Baraka, Bearden, Borges, and Fugard on his work; his creative method; and his treatment of African American family life. Highlights of the collection are the contributions from noted scholars and a recent interview with the playwright himself.

Contents:

• August Wilson and the Four B's: Influences / Mark William Rocha 3
• Wilson and Fugard: Politics and Art / Joanne Gordon 17
• The B[superscript b] Burden: The Invisibility of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom / Eileen Crawford 31
• August Wilson's Folk Traditions / Trudier Harris 49
• Ghosts from "Down There": The Southernness of August Wilson / Patricia Gantt 69
• Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: From the Local to the Mythical in August Wilson / Pamela Jean Monaco 89
• Approaches to AFrica: The Poetics of Memory and the Body in Two August Wilson Plays / Gunilla Theander Kester 105
• Ma Rainey and the Boyz: Gender Ideology in August Wilson's Broadway Canon / Kim Marra 123
• Developing His Song: August Wilson's Fences / Joan Fishman 161
• Subtle Imposition: The Lloyd Richards-August Wilson Formula / Sandra G. Shannon 183
• Seven Guitars: August Wilson's Economy of Blues / David L. G. Arnold 199
• Alternatives ... Opposites ... Convergences: An Interview with Lloyd Richards / Richard Pettengill 227
• The Historical Perspective: An Interview with August Wilson / Richard Pettengill 235.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

0815336349

OCLC:

43812007