<\/p>\n
Original Description:<\/strong><\/p>\n I am primarily interested in exploring the work of James Baldwin. I am not quite sure which aspect of his work I would like to focus on. If I focus on his fiction, I am interested in applying queer theory. In his essays, I am intrigued by the applicability of his discussions of masculinity and race to modern discussions of the same topics. Because I am unsure, I want to begin by broadening my focus as much as possible.<\/p>\n First, I wanted to center myself on some far-reaching keywords. I used a list from NYU\u2019s \u201cKeywords for African American Studies\u201d and settled on \u201cdiaspora\u201d \u201crace\u201d and \u201cgender\u201d. In my experience so far, these keywords all serve as central themes in Baldwin\u2019s work.<\/p>\n Next, I consulted with Professor Nadia Alahmed from the Africana Studies department. In Spring of 2020, I took Professor Alahmed\u2019s course \u201cJames Baldwin Studies Renaissance: Reflections of a Radical\u201d. In her studies of Baldwin, she focuses heavily on Baldwin as a political figure. She is especially interested in his stance on specific topics such as Israel. It makes sense, then, that she grounds herself in his essays, interviews, and debates. She recommended that I revisit the entirety of \u201cThe Fire Next Time\u201d. She also suggested that I read a secondary source by Douglas Field titled \u201cJames Baldwin\u2019s Life on the Left\u201d. This source is a biographical analysis of Baldwin\u2019s development as a scholar and increasing radicalism as a political figure.<\/p>\n The other two sources that I included on my reading list are pieces that I have come across in my own research. \u201cJames Baldwin\u2019s Vision of Otherness and Community\u201d by Emmanuel Nelson looks at Baldwin\u2019s fiction and non-fiction to decipher his statements on identity. \u201cThe Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain\u201d is an essay by Langston Hughes. This essay calls on the negotiation of identity necessary for the Black artist. Hughes, here, asserts that the Black artist cannot, and so should not attempt to, escape being Black. Sources such as these would help me better understand Baldwin\u2019s work surrounding race and identity, for himself as a Black artist and for the characters he creates.<\/p>\n The journal that I have selected to survey is The James Baldwin Review <\/em>(JBR). This year the journal published its seventh volume and includes various essays on both his fiction and nonfiction.<\/p>\n Update:<\/strong><\/p>\n While my approach has, in some ways, broadened since my original reading list, my intention remains elementally the same. I still am focusing on the work of James Baldwin. With my initial reading list, I focused only on secondary sources- essays that both build on Baldwin’s work and critique it. In the past few weeks, I’ve been instead focusing on grasping as much of Baldwin’s primary work as I can to see what I notice. I’ve revisited sections of his major essays, and have begun to explore his fiction; primarily, Giovanni’s Room<\/em>. Those essays and novels have been added to this updated list. While “Nobody Knows My Name” consists of many potent pieces, upon re-reading I am most interested in “Nobody Knows My Name: A Letter From the South”, in which Baldwin explores the implications of race, sexuality, and identity when a Black man raised in the North visits the South. From “No Name in the Street”, I am focusing closely on “To Be Baptized”. In this piece, Baldwin includes a reflection on an old friend, another Black man, who was wrongfully imprisoned. This piece is a raw and devastating discussion on what it means to be a Black man in the United States. “Notes of a Native Son” marks many of Baldwin’s early essays, and will perhaps serve as a baseline to mark his development as a scholar, writer, and political figure. “The Fire Next Time” is a call for the end of the “racial nightmare” in the United States and for the recognition of the intricacies of Black beauty. Regarding the novels, I am most interested in Baldwin’s explorations of love and desire. I intend to meet with Professor Seiler soon per Professor Kersh’s recommendation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Primary Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n Baldwin, James. If Beale Street Could Talk<\/em>. Dial Press, 1974.<\/p>\n Baldwin, James. Giovanni\u2019s Room.<\/em> Vintage Books, 1956.<\/p>\n Baldwin, James. \u201cNobody Knows My Name.\u201d James Baldwin: Collected Essays<\/em>, edited by Toni Morrison, The Library of America, 1998, pp. 237-269.<\/p>\n Baldwin, James. \u201cNo Name in the Street.\u201d James Baldwin: Collected Essays<\/em>, edited by Toni\u00a0Morrison, The Library of America, 1998, p. 349.<\/p>\n Baldwin, James. \u201cNotes of a Native Son.\u201d James Baldwin: Collected Essays<\/em>, edited by Toni Morrison, The Library of America, 1998, pp. 5-117.<\/p>\n Baldwin, James. \u201cThe Fire Next Time.\u201d James Baldwin: Collected Essays<\/em>, edited by Toni Morrison, The Library of America, 1998, pp. 291-296.<\/p>\n Secondary Sources: <\/strong><\/p>\n Field, Douglas. \u201cJames Baldwin\u2019s Life on The Left: A Portrait of The Artist as a Young New York Intellectual.\u201d ELH<\/em>, vol. 78, no. 4, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011, pp. 833\u201362, http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/41337556.<\/p>\n Hughes, Langston. \u201cThe Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain.\u201d The Langston Hughes Review<\/em>, vol. 4, no. 1, Langston Hughes Society, Penn State University Press, 1985, pp. 1\u20134, http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/26432664.<\/p>\n Nelson, Emmanuel S. \u201cJames Baldwin\u2019s Vision of Otherness and Community.\u201d MELUS<\/em>, vol. 10, no. 2, Oxford University Press, Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS), 1983, pp. 27\u201331, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2307\/467307<\/a>.<\/p>\n 1 academic journal: <\/strong><\/p>\n James Baldwin Review<\/em> (JBR):<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.manchesteropenhive.com\/view\/journals\/jbr\/jbr-overview.xml<\/a><\/p>\n 1-3 far reaching keywords <\/strong><\/p>\n Original Description: I am primarily interested in exploring the work of James Baldwin. I am not quite sure which aspect of his work I would like to focus on. If I focus on his fiction, I am interested in applying queer theory. In his essays, I am intrigued by the applicability of his discussions … Continue reading Updated: Reading List<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3837,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[145909,145912],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2021-blog-posts","category-2021-reading-lists"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/403lit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/403lit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/403lit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/403lit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3837"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/403lit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=783"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/403lit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/403lit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/403lit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/403lit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n