Representing the Race: A New Political History of African American Literature

The political value of African American literature has long been a topic of great debate among American writers, both black and white, from Thomas Jefferson to Barack Obama. In his compelling new book, Representing the Race, Gene Andrew Jarrett traces the genealogy of this topic in order to develop an innovative political history of African American literature. Jarrett examines texts of every sort-pamphlets, autobiographies, cultural criticism, poems, short stories, and novels-to parse the myths of authenticity, popular culture, nationalism, and militancy that have come to define African American political activism in recent decades. He argues that unless we show the diverse and complex ways that African American literature has transformed society, political myths will continue to limit our understanding of this intellectual tradition.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Author: Jarrett, Gene Andrew
Published: 08/08/2011
Publisher: New York University Press
ISBN: 9780814743386
Pages: 263
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.10w x 0.90d