Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Lorenzo Thomas

Critical Essay by Lorenzo Thomas

SOURCE: Thomas, Lorenzo. “Two Crowns of Thoth: A Study of Ishmael Reed's The Last Days of Louisiana Red.” Obsidian 2, no. 3 (winter 1976): 5-25.

In the following essay, Thomas identifies the major strengths and weaknesses of The Last Days of Louisiana Red, deeming the novel “thought-provoking, militantly bourgeois, and insanely funny.”

But after all I did all in the world I can

But that little hoodoo girl She's gonna hoodoo the hoodoo man

—Lightnin' Slim

In 2750 we will have a new pole star. It is guaranteed by the white boy's system of sidereal precession (stolen, like much of the West's star-knowledge from ancient Africa's wisdom). Our present pole star, ridiculously known as Polaris, is located in the tail of the constellation which is now called the “dipper” or “great bear” but was anciently known as the “dog.” The position of the star is symbolic, which is...
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