The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of African-American Literary CriticismHenry Louis Gates, Jr.'s original, groundbreaking study explores the relationship between the African and African-American vernacular traditions and black literature, elaborating a new critical approach located within this tradition that allows the black voice to speak for itself. Examining the ancient poetry and myths found in African, Latin American, and Caribbean culture, and particularly the Yoruba trickster figure of Esu-Elegbara and the Signifying Monkey whose myths help articulate the black tradition's theory of its literature, Gates uncovers a unique system for interpretation and a powerful vernacular tradition that black slaves brought with them to the New World. His critical approach relies heavily on the Signifying Monkey--perhaps the most popular figure in African-American folklore--and signification and Signifyin(g). Exploring signification in black American life and literature by analyzing the transmission and revision of various signifying figures, Gates provides an extended analysis of what he calls the "Talking Book," a central trope in early slave narratives that virtually defines the tradition of black American letters. Gates uses this critical framework to examine several major works of African-American literature--including Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, and Ishmael Reed's Mumbo Jumbo--revealing how these works signify on the black tradition and on each other. The second volume in an enterprising trilogy on African-American literature, The Signifying Monkey--which expands the arguments of Figures in Black--makes an important contribution to literary theory, African-American literature, folklore, and literary history. |
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The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of African-American Literary Criticism Henry Louis Gates Limited preview - 1989 |
Common terms and phrases
African Afro-American Afro-American literary ain't Anglo-African babalawo black texts black tradition black vernacular black writers called Celie Celie's chain chapter Color Purple criticism critique Cugoano culture defines dialect divination double-voiced Elegbara Equiano essay Esu's Eyes Were Watching fiction figure formal free indirect discourse function Gronniosaw Herskovits Ibid indeterminacy interpretation Ishmael Reed Janie Janie's Jea's Jes Grew Jody language Legba letters linguistic Lion literal literary tradition Marrant master Mawu meaning metaphor Mitchell-Kernan mode Mumbo Jumbo myth nature Negro novel Ogundipe parody Phillis Wheatley play poems poetry presence Ralph Ellison reader Reed Reed's relation relationship repetition representation represents revision rhetorical strategy ritual Shug Signifyin(g Signifying Monkey slave narratives slavery speak speakerly speech standard English story structure Talking Book Tea Cake tells text's theory things tion tree trickster trope voice Walker Western words Wright writing York Yoruba Zora Neale Hurston