Toni Morrison and the Limits of a Politics of Recognition (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781497550766)

Is Toni Morrison's writing as politically progressive as is widely assumed? In this eye-opening study, critic William Jefferson argues that it is not. Analyzing Morrison's major texts from the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, Jefferson argues that Morrison's writing has advanced problematic conceptions of racial essentialism, sexuality, and agency that would not be identified as in any way progressive if issued from the pen of a white writer. More than merely showing readers underappreciated aspects of African-American history, Morrison's fiction has actively intervened in the politics of her era--and in ways politically reactionary and disturbing. Stepping back from Morrison's fiction, Jefferson asks why scholars have not recognized these political aspects of Morrison's writing. What he finds is a purportedly left-wing academy focused predominantly on recognizing the indisputably black aspects of Morrison's work. This "politics of recognition," unfortunately, also naturalizes Morrison's representations in the same manner liberal humanist criticism naturalized the representations of the pre-1970 literary canon.

Author: William A. Jefferson
ISBN-10: 1497550769
ISBN-13: 9781497550766
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Language: English
Published: 05/25/2014
Pages: 202
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.61lbs
Size: 9.02h x 5.98w x 0.43d