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Unveiling Structures in Colson Whitehead’s Fiction
About this book
This book offers a comprehensive critical analysis of Colson Whitehead's fiction, positioning him as a key figure in both African American literature and the global "turn to genre". It explores how Whitehead employs conventions from popular genres—such as detective, zombie and caper stories—not merely for entertainment, but as tools for ideological critique and narrative innovation. Central to the study is the concept of "narratives of unveiling", in which information is revealed retrospectively, disrupting linear storytelling and reshaping ethical perspectives. These structures allow Whitehead to expose the systemic roots of racism and ideological conflict embedded in American society. The book situates his work within broader debates about canon formation, Afropessimist and postsoul aesthetics, and the politics of form. Through close readings of Whitehead's novels, it demonstrates how Whitehead challenges racial myths and signifies genre expectations, offering narratives that performatively enact cultural critique.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- Half Title page
- Series Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: Unveiling Structures
- 1 Detection and the Ethics of Attention in The Intuitionist, John Henry Days and Apex Hides the Hurt
- 2 Unveiling the Self: The Aporias of Autobiography in Sag Harbor
- 3 Apocalypse, Again?: Revelation and the Temporal Structure of Zone One
- 4 “Speaking the Unspeakable”: The Unnarrated in The Underground Railroad
- 5 “A jail within a jail”: Concealment and Unveiling as Narrative Structure in The Nickel Boys
- 6 The Harlem Trilogy: Revealing the System, or the Bent Man’s Progress
- Epilogue: Unveiling as Method
- Bibliography
- Index