Black male fiction and the legacy of Caliban / James W. Coleman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Coleman, James W. (James Wilmouth), 1946-2019.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American fiction--African American authors--History and criticism.

American fiction.

American fiction--African American authors.

American fiction--Male authors--History and criticism.

American fiction--Male authors.

American fiction--20th century--History and criticism.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Influence.

Shakespeare, William.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616.

Postmodernism (Literature)--United States.

Postmodernism (Literature).

United States.

African American men in literature.

Caliban (Fictitious character).

Black people in literature.

Men in literature.

Physical Description:

193 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lexington, Ky. : University Press of Kentucky, [2001]

Summary:

With The Tempest's Caliban, Shakespeare created an archetype used to depict black men as slaves, savages, and threats to civilization. As contemporary black male fiction writers have tried to free their subjects from this legacy to tell a story of liberation, they often unconsciously retell the story, making their heroes into Calibans, rather than subverting the paradigm.

Black Male Fiction and the Legacy of Caliban analyzes the modern and post-modern novels of the black male writers John Edgar Wideman, Clarence Major, Charles Johnson, William Melvin Kelley, Trey Ellis, David Bradley, and Wesley Brown. Coleman traces the Caliban legacy to early literary influences, primarily Ralph Ellison, and then deftly demonstrates its contemporary manifestations.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [180]-183) and index.

ISBN:

081312204X

OCLC:

45493385