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A Historical Guide to Ralph Ellison (Historical Guides to American Authors) PDF

291 Pages·2004·1.74 MB·English
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                  Ralph Ellison      A Historical Guide to Ernest Hemingway Edited by Linda Wagner-Martin A Historical Guide to Walt Whitman Edited by David S. Reynolds A Historical Guide to Ralph Waldo Emerson Edited by Joel Myerson A Historical Guide to Nathaniel Hawthorne Edited by Larry Reynolds A Historical Guide to Edgar Allan Poe Edited by J. Gerald Kennedy A Historical Guide to Henry David Thoreau Edited by William E. Cain A Historical Guide to Mark Twain Edited by Shelley Fisher Fishkin A Historical Guide to Edith Wharton Edited by Carol J. Singley A Historical Guide to Langston Hughes Edited by Steven C. Tracy A Historical Guide to Emily Dickinson Edited by Vivian R. Pollak A Historical Guide to Ralph Ellison Edited by Steven C. Tracy A Historical Guide to Ralph Ellison    .   1  f 3 Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi São Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto Copyright ©  by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.  Madison Avenue, New York, New York  www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A historical guide to Ralph Ellison / edited by Steven C. Tracy. p. cm.— (Historical guides to American authors) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN ---; --- (pbk.) . Ellison, Ralph—Criticism and interpretation. . African Americans in literature I. Tracy, Steven C. (Steven Carl), – II. Series. PS.L Z  ′.—dc           Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper For Cathy, Michelle, and Michael This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments he contributors to this volume are all scholars for whom I Thave the greatest admiration and people who have made major contributions to the study of African-American literature. As we continue to study Ralph Ellison, as we continue to grapple with the social, political, and aesthetic issues that Ellison raised in his work, it is comforting to know that these scholars will be among the grapplers and among those who will be teaching the future scholars who will study Ellison’s work. To Robert Butler, Maryemma Graham and Jeffery Mack, Lawrence Jackson, Wil- liam Maxwell, Alan Nadel, and James Smethurst, I extend my sin- cerest thanks for their participation in this project. Those of us who study the work of Ralph Ellison owe a debt of gratitude to the scholars who preceded us or who are working alongside us in the field. The work of such scholars as Houston Baker, Kimberly Benston, Robert Bone, Mark Busby, Ron Gottes- man, John Hersey, George Kent, Kerry McSweeney, Robert G. O’Meally, Berndt Ostendorf, Susan Resneck Parr, John M. Reilly, Eric Sundquist, Joseph Trimmer, and many others continues to inspire with the richness and nuance of insight these scholars bring to their work. We would be remiss without acknowledging the valuable work of John Callahan, Ellison’s literary executor, f viii Acknowledgments who continues to edit and discuss Ellison’s work with a careful and discerning critical sensibility. My job as a critic has been made much easier through the support and critical acumen of my colleagues in the Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. My discussions with James Smethurst, Esther Terry, and Michael Thelwell regarding issues related to Ellison’s work have been infinitely enlightening. Ernest Allen has been a much- needed advisor and helper with computer issues related to gener- ating this text, for which he has my utmost gratitude. Finally, a good bit of the work that went into the editing of this manu- script was accomplished while I was on sabbatical from the Uni- versity of Massachusetts, Amherst. I extend my appreciation to Dean Lee Edwards and the university for the opportunity to have the sabbatical time to work on the manuscript. Special thanks go to Elissa Morris and Jeremy Lewis at Oxford University Press for guiding me carefully and sympathetically through the maze of the publishing world. Linda Seidman and William Thompson assisted me with researching photos from the Special Collections and Archives at the University of Massa- chusetts, Amherst, W. E. B. Du Bois Library. The first several times I read Invisible Man, it was with the guidance of Angelene Jamison-Hall, Arlene A. Elder, and Wayne C. Miller, each of whom guided me through the material in sig- nificant ways. Edgar Slotkin, whose courses in folklore and other subjects always galvanized me, helped provide context for me to understand the folkloric elements of the text. I offer thanks to these teachers for their passion, guidance, and support. I would also like to express my appreciation to Arnold Ram- persad. His support and answers to a variety of queries have made work on this project easier. Ellison scholars look forward to his forthcoming work on Ellison. Finally, all honor to Ralph Ellison, whose insight and artistry continue to amaze and delight with each rereading of his works. By approaching the lives of African Americans and the calling of creative writing with a broad understanding, an earnest commit- ment to humanity and to American ideals, and a pursuit of an Acknowledgments ix adequate craft and skill to produce his body of work, he helped ensure that serious consideration of important issues concerning race and democracy would not recede from the American radar screen. I hope this volume helps ensure that his work does not fade from consideration as well.

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