James Weldon Johnson, Jacqueline Goldsby
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
Paperback
(W. W. Norton & Company Feb. 12, 2015)
, Revised edition
The Norton Critical Edition of this influential Harlem Renaissance novel includes related materials available in no other edition.
Known only as the “Ex-Colored Man,” the protagonist in Johnson’s novel is forced to choose between celebrating his African American heritage or “passing” as an average white man in a post-Reconstruction America that is rapidly changing. This Norton Critical Edition is based on the 1912 text. It is accompanied by a detailed introduction, explanatory footnotes, and a note on the text. The appendices that follow the novel include materials available in no other edition: manuscript drafts of the final chapters, including the original lynching scene (chapter 10, ca. 1910) and the original ending (chapter 11, ca. 1908). An unusually rich selection of “Backgrounds and Sources” focuses on Johnson’s life; the autobiographical inspirations for The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man; the cultural history of the era in which Johnson lived and wrote; the noteworthy reception history for the 1912, 1927, and 1948 editions; and related writings by Johnson. In addition to Johnson, contributors include Eugene Levy, W. E. B. Du Bois, Carl Van Vechten, Blanche W. Knopf, and Victor Weybright among others. The four critical essays and interpretations in this volume speak to The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man’s major themes, among them irony, authorship, passing, and parody. Assessments are provided by Robert B. Stepto, M. Giulia Fabi, Siobhan B. Somerville, and Christina L. Ruotolo. A chronology of Johnson’s life and work and a selected bibliography are also included, as well as six images. 12- Series
- Norton Critical Editions
- ISBN
- 0393972860 / 9780393972863
- Pages
- 512
- Weight
- 16.0 oz.
- Dimensions
- 5.2 x 1.1 in.
Enjoy reading The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man? You may also like these books
-
Frederick Douglass, William L. Andrews, William S. McFeely Ph.D.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Paperback (W. W. Norton & Company Aug. 31, 2016) -
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Susan McReynolds
The Brothers Karamazov
Paperback (W. W. Norton & Company April 15, 2011) -
Sir Thomas Malory, Stephen H. A. Shepherd
Le Morte Darthur
Paperback (W. W. Norton & Company Oct. 3, 2003) -
Harriet Beecher Stowe, Elizabeth Ammons
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Paperback (W. W. Norton & Company Feb. 10, 2010) -
U
Frances Hodgson Burnett, Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina
The Secret Garden
Paperback (W. W. Norton & Company Jan. 23, 2006) -
Sherwood Anderson, Charles E. Modlin, Ray Lewis White
Winesburg, Ohio
Paperback (W. W. Norton & Company Nov. 17, 1995) -
James Joyce, John Paul Riquelme
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Paperback (W. W. Norton & Company April 13, 2007) -
Thomas Hardy, Phillip Mallett
The Mayor of Casterbridge
Paperback (W. W. Norton & Company Oct. 12, 2000) -
James D. Watson, Gunther S. Stent
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
Paperback (W. W. Norton & Company Oct. 17, 1980) -
Geoffrey Chaucer, Kathryn L. Lynch
Dream Visions and Other Poems
Paperback (W. W. Norton & Company Dec. 13, 2006)
