The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of African-American Literary Criticism
Henry Louis Gates Jr.Diaspora
USA
Contemporary
English
Non-fiction
A theoretical framework rooting African-American literature in the West African tradition of the trickster Esu-Elegbara, showing how Black writers signify on one another and on white literary tradition through double-voiced discourse.
Literary Significance
Foundational text of African-American literary theory; established Gates as the field's preeminent theorist
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editorial-summarynot primary textA theoretical framework rooting African-American literature in the West African tradition of the trickster Esu-Elegbara, showing how Black writers signify on one another and on white literary tradition through double-voiced discourse. Foundational text of African-American literary theory; established Gates as the field's preeminent theorist
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