First Advisor

Sarah Ensor

Date of Award

5-29-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English and University Honors

Department

English

Language

English

Subjects

James Baldwin (1924-1987). Giovanni's room -- Criticism and interpretation, Innocence (Psychology) in literature, Queer theory

DOI

10.15760/honors.516

Abstract

I am investigating a "queer innocence" which I read through Baldwin's novel Giovanni's Room. The queerness of it comes from its refusal to remain tied to childhood, to the past. I will be examining the factors which traditionally are figured oppositionally to innocence: shame, guilt, knowledge and desire. By representing a loss of innocence as "perpetually recurring," Baldwin frames innocence itself as repetitive. It is not something which is simply lost, it can be found again. If the novel is suggesting that innocence is not just to be lost, but to be found and experienced again, then how do the elements listed above contribute to David's experience of innocence? And what is the result of "perpetually recurring death of innocence?" As innocence connotes a "younger self," we are introduced to multiple "younger Davids" through his narrative, and while this is greatly due to the use of memory and the past tense voice, I believe it is the present tense voice which allows us to distinguish between our "multiple narrators," and which allows Giovanni's Room to take on the depth of dealing with this "fracturing" of narrative and narrator.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/24244

Download

Share

COinS