PAPERBACK ISBN: 0-88258-070-1  

$24.95

272 pages; 6 x 9 inches

by Sandra G. Shannon

In The Dramatic Vision of August Wilson, Sandra Shannon follows August Wilson’s dramatic odyssey of plays set from 1911 to 1971. She sensitively con­siders how Wilson uses poetry, the blues, Romare Bearden’s art, and other cultural artifacts and explores how they lead him to imagined sites of pain, resigna­tion, healing, and renewal in the collective memory of black America. It is in these places of defeat and victory, Shannon demonstrates, that Wilson creates drama as he excavates, examines, and reclaims the past. Although Wilson’s plays divert attention away from factual details and focus on the human costs of family dislocation, chronic unemploy­ment, and cultural alienation, Shannon illustrates how fully the plays are grounded in credible historical contexts. Moreover, she identifies and analyzes the themes that recur in some plays and branch off in new directions in others. As she examines each of the plays in Wil­son’s dramatic history of the African American experience from Jitney! through Two Trains Running, she conveys the broad range of his dramatic vision. The book concludes with an interview between the author and the playwright, in which they discuss the latter’s life and work, hopes and mission.

© 1998-2000 Howard University, all rights reserved.  Last updated:11 January 2006.
HOWARD UNIVERSITY PRESS.  2225 Georgia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20059.  Phone (202) 238-2570
Webmaster: howardupress@howard.edu
Design & Production: Jamie Walker  
DISCLAIMER