Intersectionality in the Novels of James Baldwin

Catalog description

The class will explore issues of race, sexuality, and how these topics intersect as a reflection of America?s notion of the ?pursuit of happiness.? We will explore how patterns in the lives of his characters speak to the rights of Americans in general. We will consider how the general reader of any demographic may connect with issues raised in his works even if, at first glance, such issues may appear limited to a single social group or individual. We will explore how in his works seemingly private or narrow narrative tropes connect with larger universal themes. To do so, we will examine one of Baldwin?s plays, a short story, and three of his early novels, namely, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Another Country, and If Beale Street Could Talk.