John Henry

Roark Bradford's Novel and Play

By: Roark Bradford, Steven C. Tracy (Editor)

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Paperback | 28 July 2011

At a Glance

Paperback
220 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.8 x 15.1 x 1.6

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Roark Bradford's 1931 novel and 1939 play dealing with the legendary folk-hero John Henry (both titled John Henry) were extremely influential in their own time, but have since then been nearly forgotten. Steven C. Tracy has united these hard-to-find works in a single critical edition that helps contextualize-and revive-both texts. An expansive introduction explores Bradford's life; recounts critical responses to his works; and surveys John Henry's pervasive influence in folk, literary, and popular culture. The volume also features a wide array of supplementary materials including a selected bibliography and discography, transcriptions of folksong texts and recordings available during the 1930s, and a chronology of the lives of both Bradford and Henry. As Tracy's introduction makes clear, such a consideration of Bradford--set in the context of writers, both black and white, drawing upon African American folklore and using dialects along with stereotypical and non-stereotypical
portrayals--is long overdue. This new edition is a windfall for scholars and students of folklore and African American literature.

Industry Reviews

"No writer shaped the popular reception of the John Henry legend more than white novelist and playwright Roark Bradford, the man who put Paul Robeson on the New York stage to create a national icon. Tracy's introduction shows us the complexity of Bradford's sentimental appreciation of African-American folklore, and his appropriation of black voices in making a literary voice of his own. Bradford's combination of love and theft turned black folklore into modern American music and literature."-Scott Reynolds Nelson, author of Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry: the Untold Story of an American Legend

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