Suggests that the assumption that the theme of anti-rationalism in Jones is an attack on reason as such and that such a theme rests on an exclusive commitment to the irrational needs to be tested. (Author/AM)

Recognizes allegorical patterns controlling Chestnutt's novel, "The Marrow of Tradition," in response to criticisms concerning stereotyped characters and overplotting. Feels that Chestnutt is stating that given the death of benevolence in White society and the suicidal nature of violent Black retaliation, separatism alone offers Black…

Describes the various versions of White character portrayal emerging in Black drama between 1950 and 1970 and delineates their potential rhetorical functions. (MH)

Describes the pattern of psychological and spiritual evolution in the consciousness of many of the black characters in "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman," by Ernest J. Gaines. (GW)

Examines Black men's negative responses and White women's positive responses to works by Black women writers. Suggests that by trying to understand how and why the works by Black women writers affect readers, readers can begin to strip away their own ethnocentrism, racism, and sexism. (MM)

Analyzes the depiction of Black characters in children's fiction series since 1968. Discusses the following new trends: (1) revisions that eliminate stereotypes; (2) introduction of realistic contemporary Black characters; (3) tokenism; and (4) elimination of Black characters altogether. (FMW)

Discusses various critical interpretations of Zora Neale Hurston's personality and writing beginning in the Harlem Renaissance. Examines literary skirmishes and aesthetic debates between Hurston and Langston Hughes and Richard Wright beginning in the Harlem Renaissance period. Explores Black male and female writers' perspectives during this time.…

"Do the Right Thing" leaves the viewer with contradictory and confused messages that suggest that the film has no clear view of racial relations in a city. The film is examined as an ideological statement. It deconstructs contemporary African-American ideologies but does not replace them with new visions. (SLD)