The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man (Magill’s Choice: American Ethnic Writers)
At a glance:
- Author: James Weldon Johnson
- First Published: 1912
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Autobiographical fiction
- Subjects: African Americans, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., Self-discovery, United States or Americans, Racism, South or Southerners, Nineteenth century, Europe or Europeans, Music or musicians, New York City
- Locales: New York, NY, South (U.S.), Europe, Atlanta, GA, Connecticut, Jacksonville, FL
The Work
The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man was first published anonymously in 1912, but only became a success when republished in 1927 at the height of the Harlem Renaissance. The novel chronicles the coming-of-age of its unnamed protagonist, who switches back and forth between ethnic identities until he finally decides to pass as a European American. Its most striking feature might well be that it calls the notion of ethnic identity into question.
In order to explore ethnic identity, James Weldon Johnson has his protagonist experience both sides of the...
[The entire page is 1174 words long]
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