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Diplomarbeit Final Version 12.3.2011 DIPLOMARBEIT Titel der Diplomarbeit „The Representation of Blues and Jazz Musicians in American Fiction from the 1930s to the 1980s“ Verfasserin Elisabeth Strauss angestrebter akademischer Grad Magistra der Philosophie (Mag. phil.) Wien, 2011. Studienkennzahlt lt. Studienblatt:. A 343 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Anglistik und Amerikanistik Betreuer: Univ. -Prof. Dr. Waldemar Zacharasiewicz Hinweis Diese Diplomarbeit hat nachgewiesen, dass die betreffende Kandidatin befähigt ist, wissenschaftliche Themen selbstständig sowie inhaltlich und methodisch vertretbar zu bearbeiten. Da die Korrekturen der/des Beurteilenden nicht eingetragen sind und das Gutachten nicht beiliegt, ist daher nicht erkenntlich, mit welcher Note diese Arbeit abgeschlossen wurde. Das Spektrum reicht von sehr gut bis genügend. Es wird gebeten, diesen Hinweis bei der Lektüre zu beachten. Hiermit bestätige ich diese Arbeit nach bestem Wissen und Gewissen selbständig verfasst und die Regeln der guten wissenschaftlichen Praxis eingehalten zu haben. Table of Contents 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 2 The Blues ............................................................................................................................. 3 2.1 The economic situation ................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Discrimination and segregation ...................................................................................... 4 2.3 The Origins of the Blues ................................................................................................. 7 2.4 The musical and textual elements of the Blues ............................................................ 13 2.5 The further development of the Blues .......................................................................... 16 3 Jazz .................................................................................................................................... 18 3.1 Origins of Jazz .............................................................................................................. 18 3.2 The musical and textual elements of Jazz ..................................................................... 18 3.3 Development of Jazz ..................................................................................................... 20 4 The significance of music and musicians in Afro-American fiction from the 1840s to the 1930s ........................................................................................................................................... 24 4.1 Early autobiographies and fiction ................................................................................. 24 4.2 The Harlem Renaissance .............................................................................................. 28 5 Common Meter by Rudolph Fisher ................................................................................... 33 6 The Blues I'm Playing by Langston Hughes ..................................................................... 43 7 Powerhouse by Eudora Welty ............................................................................................ 52 8 The significance of music and musicians in Afro-American fiction from the 1940s to the 1980s ........................................................................................................................................... 58 8.1 The 1940s and 1950s .................................................................................................... 59 8.2 The 1960s to 1980s ....................................................................................................... 63 9 Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin ...................................................................................... 68 10 The Reunion by Maya Angelou ......................................................................................... 77 11 The Color Purple by Alice Walker .................................................................................... 83 12 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 89 13 Appendix ........................................................................................................................... 91 14 Bibliography ...................................................................................................................... 93 14.1 Primary Sources ....................................................................................................... 93 14.2 Secondary Sources ................................................................................................... 95 14.3 Online Sources ......................................................................................................... 99 14.4 DVD ......................................................................................................................... 99 15 Zusammenfassung ........................................................................................................... 100 16 Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................................. 101 1 Introduction Even a century after the “birth” of blues and jazz in the United States interest in these music styles has not decreased. Innumerate clubs, magazines, books, films, documentaries, reissues of past jazz recordings as well as new recordings by contemporary musicians, renowned institutes for jazz education etc. point towards the vitality of blues and jazz. These styles became so incredulously successful that they soon conquered not only the United States but the whole western world. Most genres of popular music today like R&B, Rock and Roll, Soul, Funk, Soul, Bluesrock, Fusion, Rap, Hip Hop and many more would not exist without blues and jazz. This music, which was originally created by Afro-Americans and is now firmly integrated into the American mainstream, was not imported into the United States but evolved against the background of black and white experiences and is appreciated as independent American creation. As Cataliotti explains: […] it is apparent that the music-making impulse in the African heritage has dominated the European, and the music that comprises the continuum is regarded as the outstanding form of artistic expression that has been produced in America. For this reason, music that is characteristically African American is considered characteristically American throughout the world. (Cataliotti, The Music, x) Jazz, blues and all related styles of popular music have had and still have a significant impact on fiction. There is an abundance of creative works, by both black and white writers, with a strong affinity to jazz and blues. Authors have been - and still are - fascinated by the energy that emanates from these styles; the improvisation and spontaneity, the lifestyle of the musicians as well as the intensity of the live performance which is so utterly different from classical entertainment. Jazz and blues incorporate many elements of African music traditions that were taken to the United States by slaves and therefore represent the African heritage and collective roots that connects African- Americans all over the United States today. Moreover, music as an essential form of expression in the black community is very much a part of everyday life and is a device for African-American authors to verbalize social and political attitudes. My thesis aims to give an insight into black and white literature in which blues and jazz play an integral part. First, an introduction about the development of these musical genres Page 1 will be given since this information is essential for the political, social and musical understanding of the texts. The central part of the thesis consists of six texts, among them five short stories and one novel which were written by five Afro-American authors (Rudolph Fisher, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou and Alice Walker) and one white author (Eudora Welty) which will be analyzed. They will be presented in chronological order. For the better understanding of the representation of music and musicians, two additional chapters will deal with literature and the different usages of music within African-American fiction from the Reconstruction Era to the 1980s. The appendix deals with the harmonic structure, chord patterns and improvisational techniques concerning the blues, since this art form, which influenced jazz and gospel, combines African and European stylistic devices which demand more detailed explanation. Page 2 2 The Blues 2.1 The economic situation For the understanding of the blues and its use in literature, the historical and the sociological context of the South, especially the Mississippi Delta is significant. During Reconstruction Era, after blacks were granted equal civil rights and anticipated a hopeful future, the white population tried to re-establish white supremacy and the antebellum status quo through various measures. The slave-master relationship gave way to the landowner-sharecropper and landowner-field hand relationships. After the Civil War most of the land remained in white hands as only few blacks could afford the costs of establishing their own farms. Therefore they opted for sharecropping, which became the basic institution in the agricultural South
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