Black Dionysus
Subtitle: Greek tragedy and African American theatre
By: Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr.
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Published: 2003
Place of publication: Jefferson, N.C
Language: eng
Number of pages: 262
Subjects: American drama -- African American authors -- History and criticism; Greek drama (Tragedy) -- Appreciation -- United States; American drama (Tragedy) -- History and criticism; Greek drama (Tragedy) -- History and criticism; Literature, Comparative -- American and Greek; Literature, Comparative -- Greek and American; African Americans -- Intellectual life; American drama -- Greek influences; African Americans in literature; Mythology, Greek, in literature
Description: "The different ways in which Greek tragedy has been used by playwrights, directors and others to represent and define African American history and identity are explored in this work. Two models are offered for an Afro-Greek connection: Black Orpheus, in which the Greek connection is metaphorical, expressing the African in terms of the European; and Black Athena, in which ancient Greek culture is "reclaimed" as part of an Afrocentric tradition. African American adaptations of Greek tragedy on the continuum of these two models are then discussed, and plays by Peter Sellars, Adrienne Kennedy, Lee Breuer, Rita Dove, Jim Magnuson, Ernest Ferlita, Steve Carter, Silas Jones, Rhodessa Jones and Derek Walcott are analyzed."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 247-257) and index.