A Small Black Boy and Others: James Baldwin's Essays as a Radical Framework for Understanding Henry James

Abstract

Abstract: James Baldwin revered Henry James but dreamt of writing an essay called "A Negro Looks at Henry James." This article proposes a transhistorical reading method that addresses the racialized emotional and political aspects of A Small Boy and Others and The American Scene . The article brings into focus a radical Black context for understanding James by positioning him in relation to a longer history of interracial encounters exemplified by Baldwin. By attending to James's elisions and reading them in conversation with Baldwin, the article proposes a new framework for reading James's nonfiction that compensates for his limited racial vision.