Invisible Subjects

Asian America in Postwar Literature

Nonfiction, History, Modern, 20th Century, Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Americas
Cover of the book Invisible Subjects by Heidi Kim, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Heidi Kim ISBN: 9780190614133
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: March 4, 2016
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Heidi Kim
ISBN: 9780190614133
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: March 4, 2016
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Invisible Subjects broadens the archive of Asian American studies, using advances in Asian American history and historiography to reinterpret the politics of the major figures of post-World War II American literature and criticism. Taking its theoretical inspiration from the work of Ralph Ellison and his focus on the invisibility of a racial minority in mainstream history, Heidi Kim argues that the work of American studies and literature in this era to explain and contain the troubling Asian figure reflects both the swift amnesia that covers the Pacific theater of WWII and the importance of the Asian to immigration debates and civil rights. From the Melville Revival through the myth and symbol school, as well as the fiction of John Steinbeck and William Faulkner, the postwar literary scene exhibits the ambiguity of Asian forms in the 1950s within the binaries of foreigner/native and black/white, as well as the constructs of gender and the nuclear family. It contrasts with the tortured redefinitions of race and nationality that appear in immigration acts and court cases, particularly those about segregation and interracial marriage. The Melville Revival critics' discussion of a mythic and yet realistic diabolical Asian, the role of a Chinese housekeeper in preserving the pioneer family in Steinbeck's East of Eden, and the extent to which the history of the Mississippi Chinese sheds light on Faulkner's stagnant societies all work to subsume a troubling presence. Detailing the archaeology and genealogy of Asian American Studies, Invisible Subjects offers an original, important, and vital contribution to both our understanding of American literary history and the general study of race and ethnicity in American cultural history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Invisible Subjects broadens the archive of Asian American studies, using advances in Asian American history and historiography to reinterpret the politics of the major figures of post-World War II American literature and criticism. Taking its theoretical inspiration from the work of Ralph Ellison and his focus on the invisibility of a racial minority in mainstream history, Heidi Kim argues that the work of American studies and literature in this era to explain and contain the troubling Asian figure reflects both the swift amnesia that covers the Pacific theater of WWII and the importance of the Asian to immigration debates and civil rights. From the Melville Revival through the myth and symbol school, as well as the fiction of John Steinbeck and William Faulkner, the postwar literary scene exhibits the ambiguity of Asian forms in the 1950s within the binaries of foreigner/native and black/white, as well as the constructs of gender and the nuclear family. It contrasts with the tortured redefinitions of race and nationality that appear in immigration acts and court cases, particularly those about segregation and interracial marriage. The Melville Revival critics' discussion of a mythic and yet realistic diabolical Asian, the role of a Chinese housekeeper in preserving the pioneer family in Steinbeck's East of Eden, and the extent to which the history of the Mississippi Chinese sheds light on Faulkner's stagnant societies all work to subsume a troubling presence. Detailing the archaeology and genealogy of Asian American Studies, Invisible Subjects offers an original, important, and vital contribution to both our understanding of American literary history and the general study of race and ethnicity in American cultural history.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Lupus by Heidi Kim
Cover of the book Recognition in Mozart's Operas by Heidi Kim
Cover of the book Execution and Invention by Heidi Kim
Cover of the book The Mystery of Numbers by Heidi Kim
Cover of the book Emerald Cities by Heidi Kim
Cover of the book War Comes Again by Heidi Kim
Cover of the book The Mystery of Allegra - With Audio Level 2 Oxford Bookworms Library by Heidi Kim
Cover of the book Alcohol Problems: Practice Interventions: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Heidi Kim
Cover of the book The Way of the Cell by Heidi Kim
Cover of the book The Beat Stops Here by Heidi Kim
Cover of the book Castlereagh by Heidi Kim
Cover of the book John Owen and English Puritanism by Heidi Kim
Cover of the book Writings on Music, 1965-2000 by Heidi Kim
Cover of the book Behavioral Healthcare and Technology by Heidi Kim
Cover of the book Rentier Islamism by Heidi Kim
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