Shadow and Act Study Guide

This book is a collection of essays and book reviews written and published by Negro novelist and critic Ralph Ellison during the middle years of the 20th Century - the Forties, Fifties and early Sixties, a time of increasing racial tensions between Negroes and whites. "Negro" was the term then in use for African-American, and is the sole term used throughout this book. Its use in this analysis is therefore reflective of this usage, and of the socio-cultural-literary context in which it was written. The essays include reviews and criticisms of a number of books, capsule biographies of well-known black performers and authors, and analysis of the origins of several key elements of Negro culture (including jazz, racism and family life). Throughout the essays, several common themes emerge, including the relationship between American society and the Negro, the relationship between art (music, literature) and life, and individualversus group identity. (read more)