The Souls of Black Folk | Duality in Du Bois’ Book
In the following essay, Jennifer Lynch examines ways that the text of The Souls of Black Folk embodies Du Bois’ experience of duality as well as his ‘‘people’s.’’
In Du Bois’ ‘‘Forethought’’ to his essay collection, The Souls of Black Folk, he entreats the reader to receive his book in an attempt to understand the world of African Americans—in effect the ‘‘souls of black folk.’’ Implicit in this appeal is the assumption that the author is capable of representing an entire ‘‘people.’’ This presumption comes out of Du Bois’ own dual nature as a black man who has lived in the South for a time, yet who is Harvard-educated and cultured in Europe. Du Bois illustrates the duality or ‘‘two-ness,’’ which...
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