Ellison contributes to the upshake in American life by writing a fictional, black, masculine subject in history at a moment when black subjects were being studiously written out of it.
Click play to listen. Recorded on January 31, 2009.
Sometimes all it takes to change your mind is confrontation with a new perspective. Classics in Context is a seminar sequence for teachers led by renowned humanities scholars. The series takes a fresh look at both established and contemporary literary classics. Giving teachers a chance to renew professionally and personally, the Chicago Humanities Festival supports teachers in their pursuit to revive seasoned and contemporary classic texts through study and conversation alongside their colleagues.
In this session of Classics in Context, Darrell Moore, associate professor of Philosophy at DePaul University, offers insight into the complex themes of Ralph Ellison’s milestone of American literature: Invisible Man (1952). Moore examines the history of the novel, the craft with which it was written, and its contribution to American culture and offers strategies for adapting these themes for the classroom.
