The Tragic Black Buck: Racial Masquerading in the American Literary Imagination
The Tragic Black Buck examines the phenomenon, often paradoxical, of black males passing for white in American literature. Focusing on the first third of the twentieth century, this book argues that black individuals successfully assuming a white identity represent a paradox, in that passing for white exemplifies a challenge to the hegemonic philosophy of biological white supremacy, while denying blackness. Issues of race, gender, skin color, class, and law are examined in the literature of passing, involving the historical, theoretical, and literary tropes of miscegenation, mimicry, and masquerade. The narratives examined in The Tragic Black Buck are Charles Waddell Chesnutt's The House Behind the Cedars, James Weldon Johnson's The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and William Faulkner's Light in August.
|
Contents
Chapter 3
|
35 |
Johnsons The Autobiography of an ExColoured Man
|
47 |
Chapter 4
|
75 |
The Virulent Nexus of Race and Color
|
104 |
Conclusion
|
129 |
165 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
African American argues associated attempt Autobiography becomes believes black and white black individuals blood Books buck castration Cedars challenge characterizations Charles Chesnutt Christmas Christmas's color concerning connection construction critical culture Daisy dark death desire Despite difference discourse Dream Duke University economic escape Ex-Coloured experience eyes face father Faulkner figure Fitzgerald freedom Gatsby Gatsby's gender George hair History House identity James Joanna John John's Johnson Light in August literary literature lives look male masquerade means mimicry mirror miscegenation mother mulatto narrative Negro never Nick nigger novel paradox passing for white performance person physical play possibilities protagonist psychological race racial racial identity racist recalls relates relationship Rena represents reveals Rowena scene Scott sexual signifier skin slave slavery social society South Southern suggests symbolically theory tion tragic University Press violence wealth white supremacy woman women writers York