An analysis of African American male stereotypes and counter examples within African American literature. This book explores how in their own work, three major African American writers contest classic portrayals of black men in earlier literature, from slave narratives through the novels of Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison.

From Frederick Douglass to the present, the preoccupation of black writers with manhood and masculinity is a constant. "Black Manhood in James Baldwin, Ernest J. Gaines, and August Wilson" explores how in their own work, three major African American writers contest classic portrayals of black men in earlier literature, from slave narratives through the great novels of Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison. Keith Clark examines short stories, novels, and plays by Baldwin, Gaines, and Wilson, arguing that since the 1950s, the three have interrupted and radically dismantled the constricting literary depictions of black men who equate self hood with victimization, isolation, and patriarchy. Instead, they have re-imagined black men whose identity is grounded in community, camaraderie, and intimacy. Delivering original and startling insights, this book will appeal to scholars and students of African American literature, gender studies, and narratology.