Criminal Genius in African American and US Literature, 1793–1845

by: Erin Forbes (Author)

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press

Publication Date: 2024/2/6

Language: English

Print Length: 248 pages

ISBN-10: 1421443767

ISBN-13: 9781421443768

Book Description

How did creative genius develop in tandem with the criminalization of Blackness in the early United States?In Criminal Genius in African American and US Literature, 1793–1845, Erin Forbes uncovers a model of racialized, collective agency in American literature and culture. Identifying creative genius in the figure of the convict, the zombie, the outlaw, the insurgent, and the fugitive, Forbes deepens our understanding of the historical relationship between criminality and Blackness and reestablishes the importance of the aesthetic in early African American literature.

About the Author

How did creative genius develop in tandem with the criminalization of Blackness in the early United States?In Criminal Genius in African American and US Literature, 1793–1845, Erin Forbes uncovers a model of racialized, collective agency in American literature and culture. Identifying creative genius in the figure of the convict, the zombie, the outlaw, the insurgent, and the fugitive, Forbes deepens our understanding of the historical relationship between criminality and Blackness and reestablishes the importance of the aesthetic in early African American literature.