Abstract
Historicizing the Ghostly Sound of a Ghastly Sight: James Baldwin’s Blues for Mister Charlie In African American literature, often authors use music as a model of historical recuperation. Frederick Douglass’ The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845) and W.E.B. Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk (1903) implicitly argue that spirituals, or sorrow songs, can communicate affective, personal, and social histories. Similarly utilizing a phonic dynamic, James Baldwin’s play, Blues for Mister Charlie (1964), communicates lynching victims’ pain and its causes by transforming the sound of moaning associated with lynching, which signifies grief and suffering, into the articulate speech of the protagonist, Richard Henry.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
