In this narrative inquiry, the author dramatises the tensions and discoveries that emerged in a literature course for pre-service and in-service teachers in an English education graduate programme. The students' resistance to the instructor's choice of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" as a central text led to reflection on responsible and…

This paper is prompted by the author's experience as a researcher of English literary education in three different geographies over the past three years: Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Affect theory, as discussed in this paper, concerns atmospheres, surfaces, bodies, emotions, moods, vicinities and capacities. Drawing on affect theory,…

Baby Suggs's sermon in the clearing to formerly enslaved Black folx offers readers an important anecdote about living in the afterlife of white supremacy (Hartman, 2007; Sharpe, 2016). Baby Suggs seemed to understand that the priority for survival and emancipation was loving one's flesh in a world where "yonder they do not love your…

I examine the formation of power as it relates to canonicity through online delivery systems, Amazon and Goodreads, and the academic sector in the contemporary period. The digital age has radically changed literature by providing for a textuality of literature that is multi-channeled, and this project responds by engaging new critical lenses for…

In this article, the author argues that whiteness remains an overwhelmingly absent dimension in literacy teaching that addresses systems of power from a critical perspective. One way literacy teachers may bring this dimension more explicitly into the classroom is by facilitating critical conversations on whiteness with young adult literature. As…

Author Sue Monk Kidd, who is white, employs stereotypes of African Americans and problematically appropriates features of black writing in her novel "The Secret Life of Bees." Nevertheless, this book is worth teaching, not only because it has acquired much cultural capital but also because it offers students a way to examine relationships between…

Discusses white criticism of Negro writing in response to criticism of the author's review of Eldridge Cleaver's "Soul on Ice; reprinted from "New Republic (April 13, 1968) and from Gilman's "Confusion of Arms (Random House, 1969). (Editor/SW)

Critically examines Dilsey Gibson, one of William Faulkner's archetypical Black mammies, who appears in "The Sound and the Fury." Contrasts Gibson's two mothering styles in dealing with her Black and White families as well as their treatment of her. Comments on other critics' reaction to the portrayal of Gibson. (ML)

A review of Eldridge Cleaver's "Soul on Ice; reprinted from "New Republic (March 9, 1968) and from Gilman's "Confusion of Arms" (Random House, 1969). (Editor/RD)

Stories from "Nights with Uncle Remus" are examined for the messages beyond Harris's ostensible humor. The story plots are filled with degradations and stereotypes found in the slavery era. Whether authentic retold folk tales or "fakelore" constructed by Harris, the tales reveal information about Harris's audience, the White…

Supports the position that white literary critics cannot judge black writing, and suggests that they settle for stylistic analysis. (RD)

In "Go Down, Moses," William Faulkner shows a sensitive understanding of the character and sensibilities of Black people. Faulkner's characterizations and illustrations of relationships between Blacks and Whites imply the hope that understanding between the races can be realized through man's conscious will to return to natural…

"The Lord of the Rings" continues Hollywood's recurrent theme of good triumphing over evil. The viewer is supposed to identify with the heroes, whiteness, and goodness, which of course triumphs over evil and blackness. Although the cast is made up almost entirely of White people, people also do not question this narrative of White supremacy. To…

Discusses controversy surrounding books supposedly written by and about American Indians that are fabrications written by whites. Stresses the importance of moving away from American Indian literature that trivializes Indian culture and values, toward more realistic portrayals. Black Elk, whose first name was Nick, is an example of how cultural…

Reviews issues surrounding African-American cultural identity in cultural discourse about the arts, especially literature. Identifies positions in the current debate, critiques some positions being argued, and focuses on the work of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., in his book, "The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of Afro-American Literacy…