‘BRUTALIZED’ BLACK MASCULINITY: THE PERFORMANCE OF INTERSECTIONALITY IN ANN PETRY’S THE NARROWS
‘BRUTALIZED’ BLACK MASCULINITY: THE PERFORMANCE OF INTERSECTIONALITY IN ANN PETRY’S THE NARROWS
Author(s): Najm Abdullah HogarSubject(s): Gender Studies, Studies of Literature, American Literature
Published by: Editura Universităţii de Vest din Timişoara / Diacritic Timisoara
Keywords: African American fiction; Ann Petry; intersectionality; masculinity studies;
Summary/Abstract: The paper approaches black masculinity according to Crenshaw’s intersectionality model in Ann Petry’s novel, The Narrows (1953). I argue that Link Williams, the male protagonist of the novel, is a ‘brutalized’ black masculinity on the personal and structural levels. Despite the structural dynamics of race, gender, and class which work against him, Link’s belief in his capacity and his sense of independence exacerbate his struggle to legitmise his masculinity in accomplishing a life with his white lover (white femininity).
Journal: B.A.S. British and American Studies
- Issue Year: 27/2021
- Issue No: 27
- Page Range: 221-229
- Page Count: 9
- Language: English