A beautiful pageant : African American theatre, drama, and performance in the Harlem Renaissance, 1910-1927 / David Krasner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Krasner, David, 1952-

Contributor:

Gotham Book Mart Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

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

American drama.

American drama--African American authors.

African Americans in the performing arts--New York (State)--New York--History--20th century.

African Americans in the performing arts.

African American theater--New York (State)--New York--History--20th century.

African American theater.

Performing arts--New York (State)--New York--History--20th century.

Performing arts.

American drama--New York (State)--New York--History and criticism.

African Americans--New York (State)--New York--Intellectual life.

African Americans.

Theater--New York (State)--New York--History--20th century.

Theater.

Intellectual life.

History.

New York (State)--New York.

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

Harlem (New York, N.Y.)--Intellectual life.

Harlem (New York, N.Y.).

African Americans in literature.

Harlem Renaissance.

Penn Provenance:

Gotham Book Mart (former owner) (Gotham Book Mart Collection copy)

Physical Description:

xii, 370 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.

Summary:

The Harlem Renaissance was the time when Harlem came alive with theatre, drama, sports, dance and politics. David Krasner paints a vibrant portrait of the exciting years 1910 to 1927 and the diverse events they encompassed: the prizefight between Jack Johnson and Jim "White Hope" Jeffries; the first glimpse of new dance styles pioneered by Aida Overton Walker and Ethel Waters; the social significance of Zora Neale Hurston's play, Color Struck; and the extravagant productions of Star of Ethiopia pageants that emphasized African heritage. These were the fertile years when the residents of northern Manhattan were at the vanguard of artistic ferment, leading their downtown counter-parts while at the same time playing a pivotal role in one of the most important political movements of the twentieth century: black nationalism. A Beautiful Pageant is a thrilling piece of work that lets us see the heady years of the Harlem Renaissance in a new and compellingly political light. It is a classic destined to become the standard work on the subject for years to come.

Contents:

Chapter 1 African American Performance in the Harlem Renaissance 1

Part I 1910-1918

Chapter 2 Men in Black and White: Race and Masculinity in the Heavyweight Title Fight of 1910 17

Chapter 3 Exoticism, Dance, and Racial Myths: Modern Dance and the Class Divide in the Choreography of Aida Overton Walker and Ethel Waters 55

Chapter 4 "The Pageant Is the Thing": Black Nationalism and The Star of Ethiopia 81

Part II Black Drama

Chapter 5 Walter Benjamin and the Lynching Play: Mourning and Allegory in Angelina Weld Grimke's Rachel 97

Chapter 6 Migration, Fragmentation, and Identity: Zora Neale Hurston's Color Struck and the Geography of the Harlem Renaissance 113

Chapter 7 The Wages of Culture: Alain Locke and the Folk Dramas of Georgia Douglas Johnson and Willis Richardson 131

Part III 1918-1927

Chapter 8 "In the Whirlwind and the Storm": Marcus Garvey and the Performance of Black Nationalism 167

Chapter 9 Whose Role Is It, Anyway?: Charles Gilpin and the Harlem Renaissance 189

Chapter 10 "What Constitutes a Race Drama and How May We Know It When We Find It?": The Little Theatre Movement and the Black Public Sphere 207

Chapter 11 Shuffle Along and the Quest for Nostalgia: Black Musicals of the 1920s 239

Chapter 12 Conclusion: The End of "Butter Side Up" 289.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Gotham Book Mart Collection copy has dustjacket retained.

ISBN:

0312295901

OCLC:

49260895