Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Blues as a Mode of Communication
In this essay, Chris Semansky considers the blues as a mode of communication in Wilson’s play.
In his preface to the play, Wilson writes this about the blues: ‘‘It is hard to define this music. Suffice it to say that it is music that breathes and touches. That connects. That is in itself a way of being separate and distinct from any other.’’ By positioning the blues as a form of communication, Wilson underscores his desire that the audience watch the play as they would listen to the blues, for its emotional impact, rather than its plot. Although Wilson tells us how the blues work, he doesn’t tell us what they are.
Historically, the word blues...
[The entire page is 1333 words long]
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