Overview

"This study examines the significance of the American dream in American ethnic drama. In August Wilson's ""The Piano Lesson"", Frank Chin's ""The Chickencoop Chinaman"", and Luis Valdez's ""Zoot Suit"", the African American, Asian American, and Hispanic American playwrights rearticulate the definition of the American dream for American minority peoples - to rectify their internalized distorted self-image, to implant self-esteem, and to earn the due respect from whites and others."

Full Product Details

Author:   Tsui-Fen Jiang
Publisher:   The Edwin Mellen Press Ltd
Imprint:   Edwin Mellen Press Ltd
ISBN:  

9780773446564

ISBN 10:   0773446567
Pages:   180
Publication Date:   June 2009
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

I. Introduction; The American Dream for White Americans; The American Dream for Non-Whites; Literature Review and the New Look; The Representatives of African American, Asian (Chinese) American, and Hispanic (Chicano) American Dramas; II. The American Dream for African America in August Wilson's The Piano Lesson; The Misconceived Version of Whites' Material Dream; Major Characters' Dreams; Other Minor Characters' Dreams; The American Dream to Be Fulfilled by African Americans; The Wrong Attitude towards the Past; The Right Attitude; The Solidarity; III. The American Dream for Chinese America in Frank Chin's; The Chickencoop Chinaman; The American Nightmare Manifested in The Chickencoop Chinaman; The Past: Humiliation and Self-loathing; The Present: Escape and Substitution; The Fulfilling of the American Dream Promised; Recognition and Respect; The Interethnic Solidarity; IV. The American Dream for Chicano America in Luis Valdez's Zoot Suit; About Chicano or Chicana; The Distorted Subjectivity; Chicanos' American Nightmare: White Distortion; The Distortion Manipulated by the Press; The Distortion of the Law Enforcers; 3. The Way to the American Dream: A New Chicano Identity; The Indigenous Identity - El Pachuco; The Active Identity; The Dutiful Identity; 4. The Coalition; V. Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

Reviews

"""The plays under discussion... [are] all canonical works in the tradition of American minority drama. By employing various modern theories to make sense of these plays, Jiang's study shows, in an intelligent manner, how literature and politics together disclose the limits of the American dream. For Jiang, these plays are to be read as national allegories because they represent general historical experiences of American minority peoples."" - Prof. Yu-cheng Lee Academia Sinica"""

The plays under discussion... [are] all canonical works in the tradition of American minority drama. By employing various modern theories to make sense of these plays, Jiang's study shows, in an intelligent manner, how literature and politics together disclose the limits of the American dream. For Jiang, these plays are to be read as national allegories because they represent general historical experiences of American minority peoples. - Prof. Yu-cheng Lee Academia Sinica

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