Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick by Susan Edwards Meisenhelder

Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick by Susan Edwards Meisenhelder

This work is a study of Zora Neale Hurston and provides a thorough examination of her full body of work. A number of earlier critics have concluded that Hurston capitulated to external demands, writing stories white people wanted to hear. The author argues, however, that Hurston's response to her situation was much more sophisticated than her detractors have recognized. The author suggests, in fact, that Hurston's work constitutes an extended critique of the values of white culture and a rejection of white models for black people. Repeatedly, Hurston's work shows the diverse effects that traditional white values, including class divisions and gender imbalances, have on blacks. While Hurston openly criticized white culture in letters, in articles for black publications, and in the manuscript version of her autobiography, her attack is most indirect in her work.

An Important contribution to African American studies- CHOICE ""Meisenhelder reads Hurston front to back - letters, reviews, canonical and lesser known novels alike. Ferreting out double and crooked meanings, the author plots Hurston's complex relationship to readers, publishers, patrons, gender, and race."" - Susan Willis Duke University

Susan Meisenhelder is Professor of English at California State University-San Bernardino.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780817311315
Title	Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick
Author	Susan Edwards Meisenhelder
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	The University of Alabama Press
Year published	2001-06-30
Number of pages	272
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.