Ulysses in Black: Ralph Ellison, Classicism, and African American Literature Contributor(s): Rankine, Patrice D. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0299220044 ISBN-13: 9780299220044 Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press OUR PRICE: $22.46 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: March 2008 Annotation: "Ulysses in Black" demonstrates that, similar to their white counterparts, African American authors--including Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, and Countee Cullen--have been students of classical languages, literature, and mythologies by such writers as Homer, Euripides, and Seneca. Ultimately, this unique study of black classicism becomes an exploration of America's broader cultural integrity, one that is inclusive and historic. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | American - African American - Literary Criticism | Ancient And Classical |
Dewey: 818.540 |
Series: Wisconsin Studies in Classics (Paperback) |
Physical Information: 0.73" H x 6.3" W x 9.26" (0.93 lbs) 272 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - Ancient (To 499 A.D.) - Ethnic Orientation - African American |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: In this groundbreaking work, Patrice D. Rankine asserts that the classics need not be a mark of Eurocentrism, as they have long been considered. Instead, the classical tradition can be part of a self-conscious, prideful approach to African American culture, esthetics, and identity. Ulysses in Black demonstrates that, similar to their white counterparts, African American authors have been students of classical languages, literature, and mythologies by such writers as Homer, Euripides, and Seneca. Ulysses in Black closely analyzes classical themes (the nature of love and its relationship to the social, Dionysus in myth as a parallel to the black protagonist in the American scene, misplaced Ulyssean manhood) as seen in the works of such African American writers as Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, and Countee Cullen. Rankine finds that the merging of a black esthetic with the classics--contrary to expectations throughout American culture--has often been a radical addressing of concerns including violence against blacks, racism, and oppression. Ultimately, this unique study of black classicism becomes an exploration of America's broader cultural integrity, one that is inclusive and historic.Outstanding Academic Title, Choice Magazine |