My dissertation examines the fictional images, characters, and narrative strategies that question the existence of God and the effectiveness of Christianity in twentieth-century African-American literature. Through selected works by Walter White, Nella Larsen, Richard Wright, Alice Walker, and Ernest Gaines, I have developed a deconstructive theory of interpretation that interrogates the way in which religious doubt functions as a vehicle of self-reflection and socio-political critique, particularly during the segregation era.; My study wrestles with unbelievers—blasphemous blues travelers, revolutionary atheists, and backsliders who refuse to kneel before a “Jim Crow Jesus.” Central to my argument are the ways in which the religious crisis of the individual initiates broader intraracial conversations about how blacks envision their future, ensure economic and social health, and define gender roles, racial ideologies, and human responsibilities. My study also takes into account the life experiences of the authors, most of whom were raised as Christians and participated in church activities before determining, in the words of James Baldwin, that “He failed His bargain.”; While my dissertation is thoroughly grounded in African-American literary criticism, what makes it unique is that I bring an interdisciplinary perspective from cultural theory and religious studies, engaging black humanist thought in the process. This methodology allows me to question what is at stake when twentieth-century African-American writers refuse to bind conventional understandings of spiritual wholeness with social identity. My dissertation demonstrates how a heightened awareness of their deconstructive “blasphemies” can influence the ways in which we read, evaluate, and problematize African-American faith in literature.
展开▼
