Ernest J. Gaines' work articulates the social, political, and economic position of society's most vulnerable citizens: the poor, voiceless, disenfranchised, and invisible. From his youthful days on the plantation to his adult years in California and to his eventual return to the Point Coupee Plantation, his affection for the land has not diminished. My examination of Bloodline (1968), Gaines' only collection of short stories, In My Father's House (1978), and A Lesson Before Dying (1993) will show how the central themes of his fiction have remained consistent throughout the years and how his sense of place has not wavered. Each work depicts the common strivings of the disenfranchised, the control of subservient labor by the majority class, and the folk culture that helps foster leadership and generate change. As Gaines writes openly and passionately about the common people of his childhood, the most critical aspect of each work in this study is the impact of racism upon black men -- especially husbands and fathers -- and the overall effect it has on the black family. Additional to this study is a personal interview conducted with Gaines at his residence in Oscar, Louisiana, on May 31, 2006. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of English in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2008. / October 9, 2008. / Southern Landscape, Vernacular, Dialogue, African Americans, Southern Literature / Includes bibliographical references. / Bruce Bickley, Professor Directing Dissertation; Susan N. Wood, Outside Committee Member; Stanley E. Gontarski, Committee Member; Anne E. Rowe, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_181145 |
| Contributors | Brown, Lillie Anne (authoraut), Bickley, Bruce (professor directing dissertation), Wood, Susan N. (outside committee member), Gontarski, Stanley E. (committee member), Rowe, Anne E. (committee member), Department of English (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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