A Case of Mis-Taken Identity - Detective Undercurrents in Recent African American Fiction

The detective story, staple of Western popular culture, has undergone a transformation in recent African American fiction. In the work of Ishmael Reed, Toni Morrison, and Ralph Ellison, among others, a pattern of detection emerges which has its roots in African mythology and aesthetics. The traditionally marginal figure of the victim here takes center stage, and the investigation focuses not on "whodunit?" but on how to undo it: how to invalidate the victimization by resurrecting the victim as a fully autonomous, de-marginalized figure.

About the author

The Author: Helen Lock is an assistant professor of English at Northeast Louisiana University. She received her B.A. from the University of Liverpool, England, and her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. She has previously published on Ishmael Reed and other contemporary American writers.

Product details

• Authors: Helen Lock
• Publisher: Peter Lang
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.01.1994
• EAN: 9780820423821
• ISBN: 978-0-8204-2382-1
• No. of pages: 147
• Weight: 400 g
• Series: Studies on Themes and Motifs in Literature; Studies on Themes and Motifs in Literature
• Subjects: Education and learning > Adult education/adult education classes > Adult education class / course materials (language); Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > English linguistics / literary studies; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Social structure research