{"product_id":"african-american-literature-of-the-twentyfirst-century-and-the-black-arts-the-case-of-john-edgar-wideman-9781793614629","title":"African American Literature of the Twenty-First Century and the Black Arts: The Case of John Edgar Wideman","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003eJohn Edgar Wideman's six novels from 1987 to 2017 challenge the reductive characterization of the Black Arts era, expressing continuities with a spirit of restless invention and improvisation and enabling reassessment of the black arts legacy. They are the result of a magical Black Atlantic craft that brings writing beyond written representation, transforming the novel itself into a functional tool of protection and healing. \u003c\/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat\u003c\/strong\u003e: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLength\u003c\/strong\u003e: 230 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublication date\u003c\/strong\u003e: 15 March 2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher\u003c\/strong\u003e: Lexington Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfrican American literary history has long been divided into two distinct periods: the Black Arts era of the 1960s and 1970s, and the more creative and experimental writing that emerged in the 1980s. According to this history, the new literature rejected and distanced itself from the anti-aesthetic stance of the Black Arts moment, which focused on racial tension, polemics, and romantic solidarity with the Black underclass. However, the six novels written by John Edgar Wideman from 1987 to 2017 challenge this reductive characterization of the black arts. These novels are filled with criminal elements, including accused rapists and murderers, victims of lynching and executions, and they engage in aesthetic experimentation that expresses continuities with a spirit of restless invention and improvisation. This experimentation draws on an ongoing engagement with African or Black Atlantic cosmology, allowing for a reassessment of the black arts legacy. The novels transcend written representation, becoming functional tools of protection and healing. They are the result of a magical Black Atlantic craft that brings writing beyond its traditional boundaries, transforming the novel itself into a charm that offers protection and healing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimension\u003c\/strong\u003e: 229 x 152 (mm)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-13\u003c\/strong\u003e: 9781793614629\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stephen Casmier","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":44128503038202,"sku":"9781793614629","price":35.12,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0522\/4297\/2845\/products\/1679473216917_book.jpg?v=1679899242","url":"https:\/\/shulphink.com\/products\/african-american-literature-of-the-twentyfirst-century-and-the-black-arts-the-case-of-john-edgar-wideman-9781793614629","provider":"Shulph Ink","version":"1.0","type":"link"}