As the term gothic has moved out from its confined space in 18th and 19th century European literature and is now applied to many literatures,both past and present,its definition has also become more and more expansive...As the term gothic has moved out from its confined space in 18th and 19th century European literature and is now applied to many literatures,both past and present,its definition has also become more and more expansive.The essay argues that critics should be more modest in the application of the gothic,not least by asking themselves whether“gothic”is the appropriate term to use to describe a specific plot turn or text.Especially in discussions of African American literature,the term gothic appears to this author sometimes misplaced.The essay gives a number of examples of problematic usages and of the risks associated with an overuse of“gothic,”among which are the reification of pain,a circular logic that does not elucidate anything,and the sidelining of other potential explanatory frameworks.展开更多
“The Text of the Context:John Marrant’s Literary Identity”argues,in relation to Marrant’s A Narrative of the Lord’s Wonderful Dealings with John Marrant,a Black that identity,blackness,and masculinity are all dee...“The Text of the Context:John Marrant’s Literary Identity”argues,in relation to Marrant’s A Narrative of the Lord’s Wonderful Dealings with John Marrant,a Black that identity,blackness,and masculinity are all deeply context-dependent,and that it is difficult at best to establish any fixed meanings for those terms that transcend historical periods.There are continuities,of course,and the essay shows that the struggle for freedom that is one of the defining features of blackness in the New World is at the center of Marrant’s text.When read against Marrant’s political and speakerly activity,one can see that Marrant pragmatically strove for black freedom while also embracing a Christianity-inflected Enlightenment universalism which he did not see in contradiction to what today might be called black nationalism.Marrant pursued a broad and pragmatic vision of freedom without a confining notion of black masculinity and by embracing an African self without developing a theory of black identity.展开更多
文摘As the term gothic has moved out from its confined space in 18th and 19th century European literature and is now applied to many literatures,both past and present,its definition has also become more and more expansive.The essay argues that critics should be more modest in the application of the gothic,not least by asking themselves whether“gothic”is the appropriate term to use to describe a specific plot turn or text.Especially in discussions of African American literature,the term gothic appears to this author sometimes misplaced.The essay gives a number of examples of problematic usages and of the risks associated with an overuse of“gothic,”among which are the reification of pain,a circular logic that does not elucidate anything,and the sidelining of other potential explanatory frameworks.
文摘“The Text of the Context:John Marrant’s Literary Identity”argues,in relation to Marrant’s A Narrative of the Lord’s Wonderful Dealings with John Marrant,a Black that identity,blackness,and masculinity are all deeply context-dependent,and that it is difficult at best to establish any fixed meanings for those terms that transcend historical periods.There are continuities,of course,and the essay shows that the struggle for freedom that is one of the defining features of blackness in the New World is at the center of Marrant’s text.When read against Marrant’s political and speakerly activity,one can see that Marrant pragmatically strove for black freedom while also embracing a Christianity-inflected Enlightenment universalism which he did not see in contradiction to what today might be called black nationalism.Marrant pursued a broad and pragmatic vision of freedom without a confining notion of black masculinity and by embracing an African self without developing a theory of black identity.
