Question 5: How do historical events work within the fictional narratives of African American authors?

A large body of African American literature is set sometime in the past; this genre finds itself looking back for the purpose of illuminating a misunderstood or sparsely represented history and using this history to broaden ones understanding of current affairs more frequently than it looks to the future to portend events that are to come. In other words, Roots by Alex Haley is representative of African American literature whereas one is likely to have trouble locating A Brave New African American World. This being the case, historical events are frequently paramount to African American literature; they determine the scope of a particular work of fiction. In the case of Dancing in the Dark, the advent of Jim Crow laws and the widespread acceptance of the blatant racism which they encouraged limits Bert Williams ability to perform any sort of meaningful dramatic theatre. Instead, he is forced to “know his place” and is therefore constrained to reinforcing the stereotype of “the real coon” if he is to act at all. In this work, as well as many others, historical events generally play an antagonistic role in reinforcing the low position of African Americans in America’s social caste.

Question 6: What are characteristics of African American historical literature?

To answer this question one is forced to characterize African American literature with generalizations that the author of this document is not entirely comfortable making. Having made this disclaimer, there does appear to be some subject matter and thematic qualities shared by many though perhaps not all works of this genre. One such commonality is the tendency of African American historical literature to focus on illuminating an untold or misrepresented history. In the Case of Dancing in the Dark, Phillips accomplishes this end by bringing up the history of minstrelsy and the use of blackface: a chapter of the history of American entertainment that has been by and large swept under the rug. Americans don’t care to reflect on the racist history of their country, but Phillips and other authors like him understand the importance of informing the public about their past so that they might better understand the present and better discern exactly how to handle the future.
Another important characteristic of African American literature is its graphic realism. Caryl Philips, like his contemporaries, makes no attempt to sugarcoat the vein of racism that runs deep through American history. He writes about the Williams felt about performing in blackface, how he felt the need to take off his makeup in complete privacy, and the humiliation he felt when Eva Tanguey approached him backstage after a show but before he had time to take his “makeup and lips off”.

Question 7: How do Politics Inform African American historical fiction.

Politics play a major part in shaping the nature of African American historical literature by determining the degree to which government is willing to embrace and therefore propagate the racist tendencies of the status quo. In Dancing in the Dark, Jim Crow Laws have been established by the Government reinforcing the widely held notion of the time that African Americans were somehow inferior to white people. They are forced to sit up on the balcony in “Nigger heaven”, rather than choose their spot in the crowd. Essentially, politics play an important part in continuing racism, and the prejudice which inevitably ensues provides topics for authors such as Philips to discuss. It is no coincidence that America has made more progress in reducing the level of blatant abject racism in the 30-40 years since segregation was outlawed. However, in the early 1920’s, it was quite usual for the word “nigger” to be shouted from a moving streetcar in the direction of Williams and Lottie, and for a lowly stagehand to mention that Williams “Ought to know his place”. This is the power of politics in shaping African American historical literature.

Question 8: How do these writers use traditional African/ African American beliefs to create alternative histories?

Despite their diverse ancestry, African Americans undoubtedly share a set of common or traditional beliefs. Chief among them is a general idea that they are destined to be more than just a downtrodden people whose destiny is dictated by the white majority. Evidence of this notion is found on page 41 of Dancing in the Dark where Williams is so impressed by fellow performers Will Cook and Paul Dunbar that, “although he has recently married, he too learns to stay up late.”, because he is “convinced that Cook and Dunbar are indeed the key to their future.” The important point to take away is that African Americans believe that they have a future in store for them that is much brighter than the present. Perhaps more pointed evidence of this belief as a method for creating an alternative history is found on page 100, where George vows, “… to kill the chicken-stealing, crap shooting, razor-toting, gin-guzzling, no good nigger in white peoples heads.”
A second traditional African American Belief used to form an alternative history in Dancing in the Dark is the idea that Africans are descended from a noble people. Williams relishes all of the information he finds in his book about Africa. On page 101 Phillips writes, “… a volume that - Bert had always been convinced – should he study it sufficiently, would eventually provide him with the evidence that every Pullman porter was descended from a king.” This stands in stark contrast to the perception common among white people of the time that African Americans were inherently inferior as human beings.