Crossroads Modernism: Descent and Emergence in African-American Literary Culture

above-ground African African-American Afro-modernist American approach artists attempts awareness Baldwin becomes begins blues Cake's communal communal underground complex connection consciousness created creative critical crossroads cultural danger Daniels depth descent describes diasporic modernism diasporic modernist discusses disruption Ellison emergence emphasizes energies essay Esu/Elegba excavation exchange experience explores expression Eyes feel figures final forces forms ground Hayden Hurston identity images imagined important improvised individual insights interpersonal Invisible invokes James Janie Janie's jazz John literary literature living look meaning move narrative narrator never notes offers patterns performance perspective play poem poetics political possibility present provides psychological racial rational reality relation relationship response ritual role sense shows social sound South space story structure subjectivity suggests symbolic syndetic Tea Cake techniques tell things tion tradition underground understanding vision voice West Wright writes