Remembering the Past in Contemporary African American Fiction

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Black, American, Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies
Cover of the book Remembering the Past in Contemporary African American Fiction by Keith Byerman, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Keith Byerman ISBN: 9780807876787
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: May 18, 2006
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Keith Byerman
ISBN: 9780807876787
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: May 18, 2006
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

With close readings of more than twenty novels by writers including Ernest Gaines, Toni Morrison, Charles Johnson, Gloria Naylor, and John Edgar Wideman, Keith Byerman examines the trend among African American novelists of the late twentieth century to write about black history rather than about their own present. Employing cultural criticism and trauma theory, Byerman frames these works as survivor narratives that rewrite the grand American narrative of individual achievement and the march of democracy.

The choice to write historical narratives, he says, must be understood historically. These writers earned widespread recognition for their writing in the 1980s, a period of African American commercial success, as well as the economic decline of the black working class and an increase in black-on-black crime. Byerman contends that a shared experience of suffering joins African American individuals in a group identity, and writing about the past serves as an act of resistance against essentialist ideas of black experience shaping the cultural discourse of the present.

Byerman demonstrates that these novels disrupt the temptation in American society to engage history only to limit its significance or to crown successful individuals while forgetting the victims.

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

With close readings of more than twenty novels by writers including Ernest Gaines, Toni Morrison, Charles Johnson, Gloria Naylor, and John Edgar Wideman, Keith Byerman examines the trend among African American novelists of the late twentieth century to write about black history rather than about their own present. Employing cultural criticism and trauma theory, Byerman frames these works as survivor narratives that rewrite the grand American narrative of individual achievement and the march of democracy.

The choice to write historical narratives, he says, must be understood historically. These writers earned widespread recognition for their writing in the 1980s, a period of African American commercial success, as well as the economic decline of the black working class and an increase in black-on-black crime. Byerman contends that a shared experience of suffering joins African American individuals in a group identity, and writing about the past serves as an act of resistance against essentialist ideas of black experience shaping the cultural discourse of the present.

Byerman demonstrates that these novels disrupt the temptation in American society to engage history only to limit its significance or to crown successful individuals while forgetting the victims.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Chinese Cubans by Keith Byerman
Cover of the book The Real Thing by Keith Byerman
Cover of the book The Land Question in Palestine, 1917-1939 by Keith Byerman
Cover of the book Women and the Law of Property in Early America by Keith Byerman
Cover of the book The Roots of Justice by Keith Byerman
Cover of the book Capitalists and Revolution in Nicaragua by Keith Byerman
Cover of the book State and Revolution in Cuba by Keith Byerman
Cover of the book Freedom's Teacher, Enhanced Ebook by Keith Byerman
Cover of the book Southern Cultures: 2013 Global Southern Music Issue, Enhanced Ebook by Keith Byerman
Cover of the book Through the Garden Gate by Keith Byerman
Cover of the book Understanding Health Inequalities and Justice by Keith Byerman
Cover of the book The CIO, 1935-1955 by Keith Byerman
Cover of the book Our Higher Calling by Keith Byerman
Cover of the book The American Encounter with Buddhism, 1844-1912 by Keith Byerman
Cover of the book Conceiving the Future by Keith Byerman
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