King of Ragtime (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: Edward A. Berlin
- First Published: 1994
- Type of Work: Biography
- Time of Work: 1868-1917
- Setting: Texas, Missouri, New York City
- Principal Characters: Scott Joplin, Freddie Joplin, Lottie Stokes, Joseph E. Lamb, Arthur Marshall, Sam Paterson, James S. Scott, John Stark, Julius Weiss
- Genres: Nonfiction, Biography
- Subjects: African Americans, Racism, Slavery or slaves, Music or musicians, Social issues, Midwest, Jazz music, Composers, Venereal diseases
- Locales: New York, NY, Texas, Missouri
Edward A. Berlin’s meticulously researched King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era is a welcome addition to the growing literature on American popular music. Berlin, a noted musicologist whose Ragtime: A Musical and Cultural History (1980) established the writer as one of ragtime’s preeminent scholars, sets an ambitious agenda in King of Ragtime. First and foremost, Berlin aims to set the record straight on Joplin, separating the man from the legend, assessing his accomplishments as well as his failures.
Berlin’s foil is the pioneering work of Rudi...
[The entire page is 1908 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
