Traumatic Possessions: The Body and Memory in African American Women's Writing and Performance

Griffiths (English, New York Institute of Technology, Manhattan) looks at how African American writers and playwrights have explored ruptures in memory after a traumatic experience and attempted to develop creative strategies for understanding the inscription of trauma on the body in a racialized cultural context. By examining several literary and performance texts, the author shows how the self is reconstituted through testimony--the putting into language and public statement the struggle of survivors to negotiate the limits placed on their bodies and speak controversial truths. By focusing on the relation of trauma to race and on the influence of racism on the creation and reception of narrative testimony, Griffiths' book distinguishes itself from other studies of the literatures of trauma. Annotation ♭2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Author(s): Jennifer L. Griffiths
Publisher: American Literatures Initiative
Published: 2009-12-10
Pages: 144
Categories: Literary Criticism