Historical memory a inverzní manichejství v povídkách Charlese Johnsona

Abstract

This chapter surveys three historically-grounded short stories written by African American author Charles Johnson. At a perfunctory glance, these are easy to categorize as engaged literature that looks at various facets of the US slavery system.

However, a closer analysis undermines that simplistic verdict, as Johnson uses nuanced artistic means which are virtually incompatible with straight-laced literature of commitment and documentarism.

Keywords

• African American
• allusion
• Black Arts Movement
• committed art
• historiography
• melodrama
• slavery