| Description |
254 pages ; 24 cm. |
| Series |
Wisconsin studies in classics |
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Wisconsin studies in classics.
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| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-236) and index. |
| Contents |
Prologue: preparing for the journey of Ulysses in black -- Classica Africana: the nascent study of black classicism -- From eurocentrism to black classicism -- Birth of a hero: the poetics and politics of Ulysses in classic literature -- Ulysses lost on racial frontiers: the limits of classicism in the modern world -- The new negro Ulysses: classicism in African American literature as a return from the black (w)hole -- Ralph Ellison's black American Ulysses -- "Ulysses alone in Polly-what's-his-name's cave": Ralph Ellison and the uses of myth -- Ulysses in black: lynching, dismemberment, dionysiac rites -- Ulysses (re)journeying home: bridging the divide between Black Studies and the classics. |
| Summary |
"In this 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."--BOOK JACKET. |
| Subject |
American literature -- African American authors -- History and criticism.
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American literature -- African American authors -- Greek influences.
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American literature -- African American authors -- Classical influences.
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Ellison, Ralph -- Criticism and interpretation.
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Odysseus (Greek mythology) in literature.
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Mythology, Classical, in literature.
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Classicism in literature.
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Comparative literature -- Modern and classical.
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| ISBN |
0299220001 alkaline paper |
|
9780299220006 alkaline paper |
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9780299220044 paperback |
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0299220044 paperback |
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