The Roots of "Wilding": Black Literary Naturalism, the Language of Wilderness, and Hip Hop in the Central Park Jogger Rape.

UNITED States; CENTRAL Park (New York, N.Y.)

The article explores the concepts of wilding and wilderness in relation to the 1989 rape and assault of banker Trisha Meili in Central Park, New York City. The author reflects on the racial aspects of American literary naturalism in the works of authors Charles W Chesnutt and Richard Wright. Other topics include the social aspects of hip hop culture, the racism implicit in the wrongful conviction of innocent African American and Latino boys for Meili's rape, and liberal selfhood.