American-black-literature

1AmericanBlackLiterature美国黑人文学邵伍文王伯年苏静静马丫丫2AmericanBlackLiterature美国黑人文学RalphEllisonon（1914-1994）JamesBaldwin（1924-1987)RichardWright(1908-1960)AliceWalker（1944~）ToniMorrison:（1931～）Authors:3RalphEllisononBorn:1March1914Birthplace:OklahomaCity,OklahomaDied:16April1994(pancreaticcancer)BestKnownAs:AuthorofInvisibleManGoback4RalphEllisononHislifestory:RalphEllison（1914-1994）,RalphWaldoEllisonwasbornonMarch1,1914,inOklahomaCity,Oklahoma.Fromhisbirth,Ellison’sparentsknewhewasboundforprosperity.HisfatherevennamedhimforthegreatwriterRalphWaldoEmersoninanefforttoensuresuchsuccess.AsEllisonhimselfsaysinreferencetohisparents,“nomatterwhattheirliveshadbeen,theirchildren'sliveswouldbelivesofpossibility.”5Whenhewasateenager,Ellisonandhisfriendsdaydreamedofbeing“RenaissanceMen.”Therefore,theystudiedthevaluesandattitudesofNativeAmericansandwhites,aswellasblacks.Ellisonreveredandadmiredthemusiciansofhisarea.ArrivinginNewYork,Ellisonfounditdifficulttofindworkandevenhardertofindworkasamusician.ThereEllisonactedasafileclerkandareceptionist,andheldvariousotherjobsaroundtown.Duringthistime,EllisonmetthewriterRichardWright,whoencouragedhimtobeawriterratherthanamusician.RalphEllisonon6RalphEllisononFromthispointon,Ellisonfollowedalifeofwritinginwhichheearnedmanyawards.HisbestknownworkisthenovelInvisibleMan,thoughhealsowroteseveralshortstories.Hebeganasecondnovelthathasrecentlybeenpublishedposthumously.StudentsatRutgers,NewYorkUniversity,andBardCollegewereluckyenoughtohaveEllisonasaprofessor.EllisondiedonApril16,1994,ofpancreaticcancer,buthecontinuestobepublished.In1996,FlyingHome:AndOtherStorieswaspu7RalphEllisononEllisonisoftencriticizedfornotusinghiswritingasapropagandatooltoelevatetheblackmaninsociety.Forinstance,criticRichardCorlisswrites,TheunfashionablefactisthatEllison'swritingwastoorefined,elaborate,tobespraypaintedonatenementwall.Hewasacelebratorasmuchadenouncerofthenationthatbredhim.EllisondefendedhimselfbysayingIwasn'tandamnotconcernedwithinjusticebutwithart.8RalphEllisononInInvisibleMan,Ellisondepictsablackindividualsearchingforhisidentityorplaceinsociety.Forexample,whentheyoungblackmenareintheBattleRoyal,theyareforcedtowatchanudewhitewomandance.Thewhiteobserversabusetheseyoungblackmenfornotwatchingandalsoabusethemforwatching.Theseblackfellowsdonotknowhowtheyareexpectedtobehave;therefore,theydonotknowtheirplaceinsociety.Ellisonhasthecharactersinthisnoveldealwiththeproblemofincest,whichisnotaracialproblem,butasocialproblem.9RalphEllisononHiswritingstyle:SymbolismisatoolEllisonusesofteninhiswriting.Forexample,inInvisibleMan,theblindfoldsymbolizesman'sinabilitytoseewhoheiswithinsocietyandtherealityofsociety.Anotherexamplecouldbethecontrastbetweenlightanddark.Lightcansymbolizeunderstandingaswellasthegoodofsociety,whereasdarkcansymbolizeconfusionandthelowerscaleofsociety.10OklahomaCity11RalphEllisonon12RalphEllisonon’sworks:TheInvisibleMan(1952)13作品节选：InvisiblemanIamaninvisibleman...Iamamanofsubstance,fleshandbone,fiberandliquids–andImightevenbesaidtopossessamind.Iaminvisible,understand,simplybecausepeoplerefusetoseeme...Whentheyapproachmetheyseeonlymysurroundings,themselves,orfigmentsoftheirimagination–indeed,everythingandanythingexceptme.14作品分析：Fromthestart,InvisibleManwasabookthatchangedthewaywhiteAmericansthoughtaboutblackAmericans.ItalsochangedthewayblackAmericansthoughtaboutthemselves.Anditcausedmajordisputesamongbothblackandwhitecritics.15Blackcriticssaidthebookwastoodifficulttoread.OneblackcriticsaidthattheblackmanneededInvisibleManlikeheneededaknifeinhisback.AnotherblackwriterdismissedEllisonbecauseEllisondemandedthatwritingskillsmustbelearnedbeforepoliticalideascanbeexpressed.16JamesBaldwin（1924-1987)Goback17JamesBaldwinJamesBaldwinwasborninnineteentwenty-fourinNewYorkCity.HegrewupinamostlyblackareaofNewYorkcalledHarlem.Duringthenineteenthirties,theUnitedStateswassufferinganeconomiccrisiscalledtheGreatDepression.ManyAfrican-Americans,includinghisfamily,wereevenpoorerthanwhiteAmericans.18JamesBaldwinwastheoldestchildinafamilyofnine.Heneverknewhisbiologicalfather.Whenhewasthreeyearsold,hismothermarriedafactoryworker.Jamesgrewupwithaseverestep-father.HewritesaboutasimilardifficultrelationshipbetweenfatherandsoninGoTellitontheMountain.19JamesBaldwinsworks：Juneteenth(1999)20JamesBaldwinWroteAboutRaceandIdentityinAmericaAndI'mSteveEmberwithPeopleinAmericainVOASpecialEnglish.TodaywetellaboutJamesBaldwin,oneofthemostimportantAmericanwritersofthetwentiethcentury.CriticspraisedhimforhonestlyandbravelyexaminingracerelationsandidentityintheUnitedStates.21JamesBaldwinwrotemorethantwentynovels,reportsandcommentary,playsandpoetry.Hewrotemostofthemduringthenineteen-fiftiesandsixties.Somecriticssayhisfirstbook,GoTellitontheMountain,washisbesteffortatstorytelling.Thebookisbasedonhisearlylife.22JamesBaldwinAnothersimilaritybetweenthebookandthewriter'slifeistheimportanceofChristianityandthechurch.James'sstep-fatherwasalsoapreacherinasmallchurchinabusinessareaofHarlem.Suchreligiouscentersthatwereformerstoreswerecalledstorefrontchurc