Ethnic ventriloquism

More about the book

Reading the foundational texts of the American Renaissance and other nineteenth-century works through the lens of "literary minstrelsy" may initially seem counterintuitive, as it blends popular and literary cultures while emphasizing ethnic differences in these narratives. However, this book proposes a shift in perspective. Are figures like the strolling Indian in Thoreau's *Walden*, the Native physician in *The Scarlet Letter*, or the unkempt Mexican girl in Chopin's *The Awakening* merely incidental? Introducing the concept of "ethnic ventriloquism," the study argues that the commitment to democratic self-renewal in nineteenth-century America may be more reliant on ethnic influences than it appears. The nation's pledge to democracy could represent a white subject adopting an ethnic voice, akin to literary forms of brownface, redface, yellowface, or blackface. This re-examination of American literature seeks to uncover the true owner of the ethnic voice, envisioning a moment where this "real" voice emerges alongside the white ventriloquist. In doing so, it contemplates the logic of national self-definition, suggesting that the ethnic figure may not only be the source but, in a reversal of roles, the mastermind behind the narrative.