New perspective and forms in Africa American drama of 1960s: a special reference on Amiri Baraka and Ed Bullins
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Date
2012-05-08
Authors
Ahmed, Hassan S.
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Abstract
This study attempts to investigate the changing perspectives and forms in the African American drama of the 1960s. In doing this it explores how such perspectives were related to and actually located in the changing social and political thinking of African Americans during this period. Thus it was necessary to have a background of the development of African American drama of the past, especially the drama of the 1950s as a way of delineating the fresh perspectives contained in the emergent black drama of the sixties.
For an effective exploration of such an investigation we have divided the study into six chapters. Chapter one is mainly an introduction to the study, stating the problem of the investigation, justifying the study, giving a theoretical framework for the study and reviewing an extensive on the subject.
Chapter two looks at the background of African American drama with special emphasis on its changing perspectives and forms. It also located such changes in the social and political inclinations of the African Americans in such periods. Thus the chapter lays the ground for the main differences between the perspectives and forms in the drama of the 1950s against the emerging fresh perspectives and forms in the drama of 1960s.
In chapter three the thesis with Amir Baraka is examined as a transitional playwright, straddling between the two decades. The chapter attempts to trace his development thought the changing perspectives and forms of his artistic productions using these as evidence of his continuous and broadening vision of the place of drama in the social and political events in these decades.
In chapter four the thesis examines another playwright, Ed Bullions as an artist whose response is specific to the 1960s. It examines bullions perspective and form of drama, which were also concerned with creating a particular black aesthetic in drama. This chapter also lays the ground for the delineation of the differences between him and Baraka.
Chapter five analyses the two playwrights, assessing them in terms of their different emphasis. It also attempts to relate this difference to the underlying theoretical and ideological assumptions which influenced their responses and ultimately their dramatic perspectives and forms.
The thesis concludes the study in chapter six, by assessing the findings of the study and making critical observations about the general thrust of African American drama of the sixties and the ways in which the two playwrights reflected it in their works.
Description
The PS 338.N4 A38
Keywords
Drama--20th century//Africa America drama//Baraka Amuri //Bullins Ed