SexViolHist Bib: Representations: Literature: Ann Petry

»Ann Petry (October 12, 1908 - April 28, 1997) was an American writer of novels, short stories, children's books and journalism. Her 1946 debut novel The Street became the first novel by an African-American woman to sell more than a million copies.« -- More information: Wikipedia

The Street (Novel, 1946)

I n f o r m a t i o n

»The Street is a novel published in 1946 by African-American writer Ann Petry. Set in World War II era Harlem, it centers on the life of Lutie Johnson. Petry's novel is a commentary on the social injustices that confronted her character, Lutie Johnson, as a single black mother during this period. Lutie is confronted by racism, sexism, and classism on a daily basis in her pursuit of the American dream for herself and her son, Bub. Lutie fully subscribes to the belief that if she follows the adages of Benjamin Franklin by working hard and saving wisely, she will be able to achieve the dream of being financially independent and move from the tenement in which she lives on 116th Street. It is Junto, through his manipulations to possess Lutie sexually, who ultimately leads Lutie to murder Junto's henchman, Boots.« -- More information: Wikipedia

K e y w o r d s

Chronological Index: Modern History: 20^th Century | Geographical Index: American History: U.S. History | Types: General: Rape

B i b l i o g r a p h y

I. Author Index

[Info] Jones, Shermaine M. "Choking Down that Rage": Rage, Rape, Riot and the Gender Politics of Black Resistance. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Virginia, 2015.

[Info] Young, Tiffany A. Rape in Contemporary American Literature: Writing Women As Rapeable. M.A. Thesis, Florida State University, 2007.

II. Speaker Index

[Info] Collins, Sheila. »'What else is a nigger for?': Revisiting the Trope of Black Rape in John Sanford's The People from Heaven and Ann Petry's The Street.« 14^th Annual Conference on American Literature. Cambridge 2003.