Which Way for the Negro Writer?: Ralph Ellison and the Invisible Black Left
- Issue:
- УДК / UDK: 82(092)
- DOI:
10.22455/2541-7894-2018-5-43-57
- Abstract:
The publication of Invisible Man by Random House in 1952 was a watershedThe publication of Invisible Man by Random House in 1952 was a watershedmoment in American literature. To this day, it is one of the most praised books inthe country’s history, and taught at high schools and universities across the UnitedStates – and the world. The classic novel is very often taught as the model AfricanAmerican literary text that found a way to creatively write about racial conflict tothe general public without losing its high artistic quality. However, teaching thenovel in this way reinforces damaging stereotypes about other African Americannovels published before it. When Invisible Man was published, mainstream literarypublications, ironically enough, made invisible other black writers who had writtenother impressive works of fiction before Ellison. They made Invisible Man theexceptional good novel within the African American literary tradition. Some evenseparated it from the tradition because it seemed too exceptionally impressive,rather than placing it alongside a long history of works that came before it. In orderto not reproduce these stereotypes, I offer innovative ways to present InvisibleMan’s importance in the history of American and African American literature.First, I argue it should be placed in context with other works of fiction by AfricanAmericans that he was clearly influenced by, such as The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson and “The Man Who Lived Underground”by Richard Wright. Secondly, I place Ellison’s decision to change his plot in thelate 1940s to create a staunchly anti-communist novel at the height of Cold Warcontainment culture in context with other black writers who refused to make thesame decision. I compare their careers and argue that Invisible Man’s successshould not come at the expense of those that stood by other political convictions;rather, Invisible Man could be used as a jumping board to discuss all of theserich and complex topics that percolated in the 1950s among African Americanintellectuals.
- Keywords: Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man, Cold War, the black left, criticism, reception history, pedagogy
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