James Baldwin Across Literary Forms
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Date
2016-06
Authors
Rodgers, Samuel
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
My research focuses on the work of 20th-century American author and activist
James Baldwin. Fifty years after his career started, our country is still facing a deeply
troubling racial divide, and we consistently turn to Baldwin's words to reconcile this
divide. I posit that this lasting political utility and cultural relevance stems from
Baldwin's adaptability to the various literary forms he uses to address complex ideas
around race and identity. I highlight three forms throughout my project, and analyze the
ways in which Baldwin adapts the same general arguments to each. The first section, on
Baldwin's Another Country, argues that the novel's central metaphor of indebtedness is
crucial for understanding Baldwin's enduring approach to racial hatred. In the second
section, I read two films that Baldwin appears in as extensions of his written work, and
explicate the ways that these public appearances reiterate the underlying political
element of his writing. The final section is on non-fiction, and here I draw comparisons
between The Fire Next Time and Ta-Nahisi Coates' 2015 book Between the World and
Me. The collective goal of these three sections is to illustrate Baldwin's rhetorical
versatility, account for his current political utility, and redirect his value back into the
literary context in which it originated.
Description
49 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of English and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Spring 2016.
Keywords
English, Literature, James Baldwin, Another Country, Ta-Nahisi Coates, Literary