Frankie and Johnny

Race, Gender, and the Work of African American Folklore in 1930s America

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Folklore & Mythology, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book Frankie and Johnny by Stacy I. Morgan, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Stacy I. Morgan ISBN: 9781477312100
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: April 18, 2017
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Stacy I. Morgan
ISBN: 9781477312100
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: April 18, 2017
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English
Originating in a homicide in St. Louis in 1899, the ballad of "Frankie and Johnny" became one of America's most familiar songs during the first half of the twentieth century. It crossed lines of race, class, and artistic genres, taking form in such varied expressions as a folk song performed by Huddie Ledbetter (Lead Belly); a ballet choreographed by Ruth Page and Bentley Stone under New Deal sponsorship; a mural in the Missouri State Capitol by Thomas Hart Benton; a play by John Huston; a motion picture, She Done Him Wrong, that made Mae West a national celebrity; and an anti-lynching poem by Sterling Brown.In this innovative book, Stacy I. Morgan explores why African American folklore—and "Frankie and Johnny" in particular—became prized source material for artists of diverse political and aesthetic sensibilities. He looks at a confluence of factors, including the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Depression, and resurgent nationalism, that led those creators to engage with this ubiquitous song. Morgan's research uncovers the wide range of work that artists called upon African American folklore to perform in the 1930s, as it alternately reinforced and challenged norms of race, gender, and appropriate subjects for artistic expression. He demonstrates that the folklorists and creative artists of that generation forged a new national culture in which African American folk songs featured centrally not only in folk and popular culture but in the fine arts as well.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Originating in a homicide in St. Louis in 1899, the ballad of "Frankie and Johnny" became one of America's most familiar songs during the first half of the twentieth century. It crossed lines of race, class, and artistic genres, taking form in such varied expressions as a folk song performed by Huddie Ledbetter (Lead Belly); a ballet choreographed by Ruth Page and Bentley Stone under New Deal sponsorship; a mural in the Missouri State Capitol by Thomas Hart Benton; a play by John Huston; a motion picture, She Done Him Wrong, that made Mae West a national celebrity; and an anti-lynching poem by Sterling Brown.In this innovative book, Stacy I. Morgan explores why African American folklore—and "Frankie and Johnny" in particular—became prized source material for artists of diverse political and aesthetic sensibilities. He looks at a confluence of factors, including the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Depression, and resurgent nationalism, that led those creators to engage with this ubiquitous song. Morgan's research uncovers the wide range of work that artists called upon African American folklore to perform in the 1930s, as it alternately reinforced and challenged norms of race, gender, and appropriate subjects for artistic expression. He demonstrates that the folklorists and creative artists of that generation forged a new national culture in which African American folk songs featured centrally not only in folk and popular culture but in the fine arts as well.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Twilight on the Range by Stacy I. Morgan
Cover of the book Mixing It Up by Stacy I. Morgan
Cover of the book Citizen's Primer for Conservation Activism by Stacy I. Morgan
Cover of the book Electing a President by Stacy I. Morgan
Cover of the book Reef Fishes of the Sea of Cortez by Stacy I. Morgan
Cover of the book Cycles of Time and Meaning in the Mexican Books of Fate by Stacy I. Morgan
Cover of the book Animated Personalities by Stacy I. Morgan
Cover of the book Democratizing Texas Politics by Stacy I. Morgan
Cover of the book Big and Bright by Stacy I. Morgan
Cover of the book The Port of Houston by Stacy I. Morgan
Cover of the book Displaced by Stacy I. Morgan
Cover of the book El Narcotraficante by Stacy I. Morgan
Cover of the book Becoming Belafonte by Stacy I. Morgan
Cover of the book Ritual and Pilgrimage in the Ancient Andes by Stacy I. Morgan
Cover of the book A Book on the Making of Lonesome Dove by Stacy I. Morgan
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy