Writing Southern Race Relations: Stories Ellen Douglas Was Brave Enough to Tell.

Douglas, Ellen, 1921-2012; 20th century American literature; American literature; Story plots; Race relations; Interpersonal relations; Novelists; Literary criticism; Fiction

United States; Southern States

This essay focuses on the work of author Ellen Douglas, the pseudonym used by Josephine Haxton to conceal the identities of family members used in her fiction. Douglas' treatment of race relations in the U.S. South in her books and short stories published in the 1960s is considered, particularly "Black Cloud, White Cloud," a collection of short stories published in 1963. Douglas's later postmodern fiction, including "A Lifetime Burning" and "Can't Quit You, Baby," published in the 1980s, are also examined in terms of their depictions of race relations in the South. The theme of white ignorance of African American life and experience in race relations is seen as the constant thread in Douglas's work.