Not So Simple

The "Simple" Stories by Langston Hughes

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Not So Simple by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper, University of Missouri Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper ISBN: 9780826260680
Publisher: University of Missouri Press Publication: August 1, 1996
Imprint: University of Missouri Language: English
Author: Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
ISBN: 9780826260680
Publisher: University of Missouri Press
Publication: August 1, 1996
Imprint: University of Missouri
Language: English

The "Simple" stories, Langston Hughes's satirical pieces featuring Harlem's Jesse B. Semple, have been lauded as Hughes's greatest contribution to American fiction.  In Not So Simple, Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper provides the first full historical analysis of the Simple stories.

Harper races the evolution and development of Simple from his 1943 appearance in Hughes's weekly Chicago Defender column through his 1965 farewell in the New York Post. Drawing on correspondence and manuscripts of the stories, Harper explores the development of the Simple collections, from Simple Speaks His Mind (1950) to Simple's Uncle Sam (1965), providing fresh and provocative perspectives on both Hughes and the characters who populate his stories.

Harper discusses the nature of Simple, Harlem's "everyman", and the way in which Hughes used his character both to teach fellow Harlem residents about their connection to world events and to give black literature a hero whose "day-after-day heroism" would exemplify greatness. She explores the psychological, sociological, and literary meanings behind the Simple stories, and suggests ways in which the stories illustrate lessons of American history and political science. She also examines the roles played by women in these humorously ironic fiction.  Ultimately, Hughes's attitudes as an author are measured against the views of other prominent African American writers.

Demonstrating the richness and complexity of this Langston Hughes character and the Harlem he inhabited. Not So Simple makes an important contribution to the study of American literature.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The "Simple" stories, Langston Hughes's satirical pieces featuring Harlem's Jesse B. Semple, have been lauded as Hughes's greatest contribution to American fiction.  In Not So Simple, Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper provides the first full historical analysis of the Simple stories.

Harper races the evolution and development of Simple from his 1943 appearance in Hughes's weekly Chicago Defender column through his 1965 farewell in the New York Post. Drawing on correspondence and manuscripts of the stories, Harper explores the development of the Simple collections, from Simple Speaks His Mind (1950) to Simple's Uncle Sam (1965), providing fresh and provocative perspectives on both Hughes and the characters who populate his stories.

Harper discusses the nature of Simple, Harlem's "everyman", and the way in which Hughes used his character both to teach fellow Harlem residents about their connection to world events and to give black literature a hero whose "day-after-day heroism" would exemplify greatness. She explores the psychological, sociological, and literary meanings behind the Simple stories, and suggests ways in which the stories illustrate lessons of American history and political science. She also examines the roles played by women in these humorously ironic fiction.  Ultimately, Hughes's attitudes as an author are measured against the views of other prominent African American writers.

Demonstrating the richness and complexity of this Langston Hughes character and the Harlem he inhabited. Not So Simple makes an important contribution to the study of American literature.

More books from University of Missouri Press

Cover of the book Your Brother in Arms by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
Cover of the book A French Aristocrat in the American West by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
Cover of the book Bureaucracy in America by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
Cover of the book The Prodigal Daughter by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
Cover of the book Presidents and Political Thought by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
Cover of the book Nixon's First Cover-up by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
Cover of the book The Fishing Creek Confederacy by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
Cover of the book In Search of the Triune God by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
Cover of the book Selling Black History for Carter G. Woodson by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
Cover of the book Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
Cover of the book Natural Missouri by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
Cover of the book Modernist Travel Writing by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
Cover of the book Understanding Missouri's Constitutional Government by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
Cover of the book The Strange Deaths of President Harding by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
Cover of the book Sin in the City by Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy