THE EXAMPLE OF RICHARD WRIGHT

by Dan McCall ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 26, 1969

A resourceful analysis of Wright and his works. Its abundant allusions are sometimes merely ornamental however enriching--allusions to Poe and Dreiser, Fanon and Cleaver, and specific polemics on Wright by DuBois, Ellison, Irving Howe. The book is loose in form, with a chronological skeleton. Its fluid interpretations of Wright's life make the Constance Webb biography (1968) pedestrian by comparison. Though McCall fails to get beyond the obvious aspects of the clash between Wright's artistic independence and his Party commitment, he makes us see both the early Southern years and the expatriation more fully and sensitively. The critique of Native Son is long, penetrating, and balanced; the emphasis on the virtues of Black Boy is sound; and the later work becomes more interesting than it does in Margolies Native Sons chapter (1968, p. 869). Purely literary dimensions and social connections are evaluated in a fashion which reciprocally enlarges each; hence McCall's critical equipment (the ""controlling myth"" concept and the investigation of symbols, for instance) serves for instruction rather than autopsy. The book will be read widely and eagerly.

Pub Date: March 26, 1969

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harcourt, Brace & World

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1969

Categories: NONFICTION