The Image of the “White Liberal” in Black American Fiction and Drama
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| Language: | English |
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Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK
1973
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1555931250435278 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-bgsu15559312504352782021-08-03T07:10:40Z The Image of the “White Liberal” in Black American Fiction and Drama Jones, Norma Ramsay American Literature African American Studies Literary criticism has examined white American writing to determine whether black characters have received stereotypical treatment, but little notice has been paid to white characters created by black authors. Existing criticism has focused on the frequently appearing White Oppressor stereotype. This study presented the other major white characterization, the White Liberal, "who opposes prevailing standards by relatively less oppressive behavior toward blacks." It was hoped that studying the White Liberal would show whether black writers, free from the hatred and fear entering into creation of the Oppressor stereotype, had learned to create complex, round white characters, thus reflecting artistic growth. It was assumed that the white liberal image in various periods of history would indicate any progress made in race relations. The image of the White Liberal was examined in the black fiction and drama of four periods of black American experience: Protest (1853-1920), Harlem Renaissance (1920-1930), Between "Pride" and "Power" (1930 to the mid-Sixties), Militancy (mid-Sixties to the present). Major liberal characters were analyzed and typed according to motive for liberalism. Dominant character types and modes of artistic treatment were noted. Results of period analyses were then compared. Comparison of white liberal characters' motivation in historical context showed that the moral estimate of liberal motivation altered in relation to the amount of oppression blacks experienced in a given era and the extent to which they were dependent upon whites. Excepting a few multi-dimensional portraits from the late Fifties and early Sixties, the White Liberal was usually stereotyped. As a race relations indicator, the image of the White Liberal showed that blacks know whites as imperfectly as whites know blacks. 1973 English text Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1555931250435278 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1555931250435278 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
American Literature African American Studies |
| spellingShingle |
American Literature African American Studies Jones, Norma Ramsay The Image of the “White Liberal” in Black American Fiction and Drama |
| author |
Jones, Norma Ramsay |
| author_facet |
Jones, Norma Ramsay |
| author_sort |
Jones, Norma Ramsay |
| title |
The Image of the “White Liberal” in Black American Fiction and Drama |
| title_short |
The Image of the “White Liberal” in Black American Fiction and Drama |
| title_full |
The Image of the “White Liberal” in Black American Fiction and Drama |
| title_fullStr |
The Image of the “White Liberal” in Black American Fiction and Drama |
| title_full_unstemmed |
The Image of the “White Liberal” in Black American Fiction and Drama |
| title_sort |
image of the “white liberal” in black american fiction and drama |
| publisher |
Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
1973 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1555931250435278 |
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AT jonesnormaramsay theimageofthewhiteliberalinblackamericanfictionanddrama AT jonesnormaramsay imageofthewhiteliberalinblackamericanfictionanddrama |
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