I urge here for a reconceptualization of such female protagonists’ embodiments of the trope of strong black womanhood that shows the benefit of troubling these rigid narratives of inclusion which have underwritten and, to wit, regulated black women’s purchase on the discourse. Using the works of Nella Larsen, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ntozake Shange, I propose that while, to be sure, the aforementioned characters do not match the physical expectations for membership into what I suggest may be called the cult of strong black womanhood, their performances of fitness, independence and control combine with their collective demonstrations of emotionally defensive postures, self-sacrificing decisions, and alternately demanding and passive performances to adhere to essential criteria of the strong black woman. Even when these performances may, because of the characters’ class positionality and caste, be expected to fall instead alongside discourses of respectability, I propose that study of the women’s affective labor processes reveals an eschewing of vulnerability that is the key identifier of the archetype. Such performances, I emphasize, are especially harmful as they inter-relationally interrupt and obstruct opportunities for connection, demonstrations of vulnerability and need among women. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of English in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2016. / April 25, 2016. / affect, African American women, middle class, strong black woman, twentieth century literature / Includes bibliographical references. / Dennis Moore, Professor Directing Dissertation; Maxine Jones, University Representative; Alisha M. Gaines, Committee Member; Rhea E. Lathan, Committee Member; Maxine Montgomery, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_366445 |
| Contributors | Hudson, Jenise Shree (authoraut), Moore, Dennis D. (professor directing dissertation), Jones, Maxine Deloris (university representative), Gaines, Alisha M. (Alisha Marie) (committee member), Lathan, Rhea Estelle, 1961- (committee member), Montgomery, Maxine Lavon, 1959- (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Arts and Sciences (degree granting college), Department of English (degree granting department) |
| 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 (149 pages), 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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