See all 21 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. That is the premise george schuyler explores in black no more, an initially breezy little. Each page unleashes a fusillade of gags and comic sequences. This hilarious and relevant story follows max disher, who undergoes a new scientific transformation and becomes a white man named matthew fisher and a. George schuylers the negroart hokum and langston hughes the negro artist and the racial mountain have historically been considered in tandem as one is a direct response to the other.
Menckens the american mercury, the nation, and other publications. Black no more, written by george schuyler, is the story of max disher. Effeteness and racial degeneracy of the united states. Schuylers novel is a hybrid of fiction, satire, and science fiction. Schuylers maternal greatgrandmother was an ethnicmalagasy servant who married. Read unlimited books and audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android. Two classic american novels about the madness and beauty. Being an account of the strange and wonderful workings of science in the land of the free, ad 19331940 is a 1931 harlem renaissance satire on american race relations by george s. George schuyler and langston hughes intro to african. Books popularity among an africanamerican audience at the time of its publication. Black no more is the story of max disher, a dapper black rogue of an insurance man who, through a scientific transformation. But black no more does deal with some shared themes, including how precarious family, community, and even national memory is in a nation with such a fast rate of change as the united states. Confusion about what is thought about the domestic black population and its relation to maintaining the racial. Matt dreams up a scam that allows him to become the leader of the.
Black no more quotes george schuyler this study guide consists of approximately 47 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of black no more. Schuylers works have been republished or published for the first time in book form. Black no more kindle edition by schuyler, george s. Schuyler s works have been republished or published for the first time in book form. Best know for his dissenting essay, the negroart hokum, schuyler 18951977. Schuylers black no more is a deeply satirical novel which takes race relations during the harlem renaissance and completely runs askew with them within this interesting time period.
Schuyler s maternal greatgrandmother was an ethnicmalagasy servant who married. Schuyler, a major black author and the first black journalist to attain national prominence with the acidic bite of his ideas, died aug. George samuel schuyler 18951977 born in providence, rhode island, schuyler received a public school education in syracuse, new york, before enlisting in the army at age 17. Schuylers extraordinary 1931 work of speculative fiction, black no more, lets readers know that this is going to be a wild ride. Compare and contrast your reactions to these novels as you read them. Explore books by george schuyler with our selection at. Black no more is the story of max disher, a dapper black rogue of an insurance. Buy black no more by george s schuyler online at alibris. The book was written during the harlem renaissance. Study questions for george schuyler, black no more 1931.
He targets both the ku klux klan and naacp in condemning the ways in which race functions as both an obsession and a commodity in early twentieth. The first time i read george schuylers 1931 novel, black no more. Schuyler anticipates and ultimately re jects eitheror formulations like pattersons concluding opposition of race and class. George schuyler argues against black art hundreds of writers and artists lived in harlem in the 1920s and 1930s and were part of a vibrant, creative community that found its voice in what came to be called the harlem renaissance. In particular, black no more, schuyler s major literary achievement, needs to be reassessed. In the early 1930s schuyler published two novels, black no more. For instance, his 1930 novel, black no more, satirizes the nations obsession with race by. Being an account of the strange and wonderful workings of science in the land of the free, a. This humorous work of speculative fiction was written by an unsung hero of africanamerican literature. Sadly, but, given the ideologically charged nature of these four weeks, all. In the 1920s, schuyler was a member of the american socialist party and espoused liberal views.
Black no more is based on a fantastical, speculative premise. George schuyler s 18951977 novel, black no more, is a deliciously wicked satire on 1920s american racial mores. Matt dreams up a scam that allows him to become the leader of the knights of nordica, a white supremacist group, as well as to marry the white woman who rejected him when he. N2 often seen as an outlier of the harlem renaissance, george schuyler cannot be reduced to a mere cultural or political anomaly but instead illustrates the breadth and range of the movement. Buy a cheap copy of black no more book by george s. Black no more loa ebook classic no one is safe from schuylers biting mockery, not southern segregationists or black liberationists. Black no more is the story of max disher, a dapper black rogue of an insurance man who, through a scientific transformation process, becomes matthew fisher, a white man.
Black no more by george schuyler is a satirical novel, published in 1931, that looks at the united states race problem by considering what would happen if black people could be turned white. Kent rasmussen recovered a significant amount of schuyler s pulp fiction, and, in doing so, they demonstrated the need to reevaluate schuyler s work. After a sevenyear stint in the army, he moved to new york city, where he joined the staff of the more about george s. Hopefully, black and conservative will be reprinted, and some of schuyler s thousands of newspaper columns and editorials will be published in book form. Schuylers paternal greatgrandfather was believed to be a black soldier working for general philip schuyler, whose surname the soldier adopted. During my preparation for my exam on modernism, i also read a few things about the harlem renaissance, and it was in one of those that i came across a mention of black no more by george s. This satirical harlem renaissanceera novel by black conservative intellectual george s. Schuyler, black and conservative vcu scholars compass. One of the most prominent africanamerican journalists of the early 20th century, george schuyler 18951977 wrote for black americas most influential newspaper, the pittsburgh courier, in addition to h. Schuyler became a member of the john birch society. Schuylers satiric romp, is the story of max disher, a dapper black rogue of an insurance man who, through a scientific transformation process, becomes matthew fisher, a white man. By the 1950s, he had become an ardent supporter of u. It is inextricably bound to capitalism, a relation constitutive of the na tions modern racial regime denning 33. The twosentence summary made me want to read it, so i was excited to see it had been republished recently.
Hopefully, black and conservative will be reprinted, and some of schuylers thousands of newspaper columns and editorials will be published in book. Modern library harlem renaissancewhat would happen to the race problem in america if black people turned white. Gruesser reads schuyler as a skillful roleplayer who dons an array of masks, a trickster, akin to the slippery protagonist of black no more. Black no more, the first fulllength satiric novel by a black american, hypothesizes an america in which a black doctor discovers a formula that makes blacks white. In the former he presented race leaders as charlatans, ridiculed. In this harlem renaissance classic, schuler mixes satire and science fiction for a unique blend of social commentary. First published in 1931, it was initially reissued during the late 1980s as part of the northeastern library of black literature. George schuyler and racial capitalism article in publications of the modern language association of america 1235.
His biting satire not only debunks the myths of white supremacy and racial purity but also lampoons prominent leaders of the naacp and the harlem. His biting satire not only debunks the myths of white supremacy and racial purity but also. Matt dreams up a scam that allows him to become the leader of the knights of nordica, a white supremacist group, as well as to marry the white woman who rejected him. T1 the new negro iconoclast, or, the curious case of george samuel schuyler. As far back as the 1960s, one of the most notable black writers in the country george s. Schuyler online on bookmate according to max disher, an ambitious young black man in 1930s new york, someone of. It is his resistance to pandering, to joining tribes and clubs that feels so refreshing. Ethiopian stories, black empire, black no more, raceing to the right. X99 schuyler, george black no more first published in 1931, this scathing satire on race embodies all the controversial notions of its author, the grouchy journalist and essayist schuyler, a kindred spirit of his mentor and fellow misanthrope, h. Schuyler s paternal greatgrandfather was believed to be a black soldier working for general philip schuyler, whose surname the soldier adopted. He resented the assumption on the part of white americans that, because he was black, he was not politically. Schuyler 18951977, a satirist, critic, and eminent african american journalist of the harlem renaissance, was born in providence, rhode island. Max is a clever black man who endures an extraordinary, scientific transformation, which leads him to turn into a white man.
Vigorous debate also characterized the harlem renaissance. Dover publications, 2011 paperback paperback paperback. Heath anthology of american literaturegeorge samuel. These questions and more are answered hilariously in black no more, george s. Menckens the american mercury, the nation, and other renowned publications. George schuylers 18951977 novel, black no more, is a deliciously wicked satire on 1920s american racial mores. In the negroart hokum, schuyler makes an argument against the specificity of africanamerican art, thus the title. Being an account of the strange and wonderful working of science in the land of the free, a. Schuyler 18951977, who wrote for the pittsburgh courier and contributed. Schuyler 18951977 wrote for black americas most influential newspaper, the pittsburgh courier, in addition to h. Schuylers black no more 1931 and nella larsens passing. Black no more mocks americas racial caste system and the pseudoscience upon which racism often was based. The new negro iconoclast, or, the curious case of george. George schuyler biography list of works, study guides.
781 344 610 601 190 578 85 1511 580 697 320 858 19 647 1007 1233 1536 236 677 851 1417 93 677 1378 1207 1087 862 266 729 1497