Literary Representations of the Black Woman’s Body
Spring 2012
MWF 11-11-50 am
112 Gamble Hall
Course Description
So de white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man tuh pick it up. He pick it up because he have to, but he don’t tote it. He hand it to his womenfolks. De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see. Ah been prayin’ fuh it tuh be different wid you. Lawd, Lawd, Lawd. (Nanny, Their Eyes Were Watching God)In this course, we will examine written and visual narratives that explore the black female body. We will read a broad range of texts (including film and other non-written narratives) that address sexuality, rape, physical abuse, motherhood, notions of beauty, and other issues that surround representations of the black woman’s body in literature and film
Reading List
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- Ain’t I a Woman by bell hooks
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- Becoming Abigail by Chris Abani
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- Longing to Tell by Trish Rose
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- Monster’s Ball
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- Precious (2010)
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- The Coldest Winter Ever by Sistah Soljah
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- The Prentice Hall Anthology of African-American Women’s Literature
