91吃瓜

The acclaimed novel 鈥淚nvisible Man鈥� by Ralph Ellison (1914-1994) holds a prominent place in the annals of both American literature and American history. Its release in March 1952 helped catalyze the civil rights movement in this country, and generations of students have been moved by the novel鈥檚 rich portrayal of social conflict and the poignant life of its unnamed narrator.

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the release of the book, as well as the author鈥檚 March 1 birthday, the University of 91吃瓜鈥檚 is sponsoring a public reading of selections of the great novel from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday (March 1) in the Great Hall of O鈥橲haughnessy Hall, where faculty and students will read.

鈥淭he idea of a public reading from Ralph Ellison鈥檚 great novel about race and identity in America occurred to me last fall, when I taught 鈥業nvisible Man鈥� in a class on conflict and democracy in American fiction that was offered through the Peace Studies and American Studies programs as well as the English Department,鈥� says , associate professor of English.

鈥淢y students were immediately drawn to the complexity of the novel and particularly to its ironic yet poignant treatment of its unnamed hero, a young black man who has been thrown out of his idyllic southern college for revealing truths about black life that the college administration wants to keep secret from its white trustees. They could identify with the Invisible Man鈥檚 struggles to understand who he is and where he belongs,鈥� Gustafson says.

One highlight of the event will be the reading of the first chapter of 鈥淚nvisible Man鈥� by and his students between 11:40 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. Wilkens, assistant professor of English, and , assistant professor of American studies, have been working with students this semester on the novel, and both took groups to Chicago recently to watch the stage production of the novel there. Additionally, , also an assistant professor of English, discusses Ellison鈥檚 novel in a chapter of her new book, 鈥淐orridor: Media Architectures in American Fiction.鈥�

鈥淭he novel鈥檚 importance for the Civil Rights movement reflects Ellison鈥檚 remarkable ability to condense African-American history in stories, allusions and symbols, as well as through the interplay of the characters,鈥� Gustafson says.

鈥淎stonishingly, the novel succeeds at being both a gripping tale of one young man鈥檚 confrontation with difficult realities and a nuanced history of African-American experience.鈥�

Contact: Susan Guibert, office of public relations, 574-631-2867, sguibert@nd.edu