ENGLISH 45C Lecture 3: English 45C Week 3 & 4
Document Summary
Aecm was published in 1912 when african american literature was undergoing an incredible set of changes. Notable writers include paul laurence dunbar, frances harper, joel chandler harris, charles. Du bois" the souls of black folk is one of the most important books in american literature and history. Doesn"t like dumb or poor people; double consciousness is contingent on intelligence, according to the narrator. Freemason: secret society, trained, self-selected artisans; elite idea. Double-consciousness isn"t just a metaphor in aecm, it"s something the narrator tries to achieve. The narrator has no trouble with one half of double-consciousness, he sees black culture from a third-person perspective (b/c he can pass for white) Lacks first person perspective, he"s identified as a person of color before he identifies as one. Most of narrator"s information about race comes from two sources: talking to new friends and from reading fiction.
