Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

8-2021

School/College

College of Liberal Arts and Behavioral Sciences (COLABS)

Degree Name

MA in English

Committee Chairperson

Alexis Brooks de Vita

Committee Member 1

Iris Lancaster

Committee Member 2

Charlene Evans

Committee Member 3

Michael Zeitler

Committee Member 4

Nupur Chaudhuri

Keywords

Black Lives Matter, Literary Analysis, Political Analysis, Prophetic Literature, Radical Imagination, Social Analysis

Abstract

In exploring the connections between the literary arts and the history of society, Stevens Orozco points to the existence of a prophetic element within the works of writers such as James Baldwin, Toni Morrison and Octavia E. Butler. By tracing the history of society through a linear path of published and canonized works, Orozco argues that the molding of society throughout history is a result of the manipulation of identities and narratives that has established the foundation for the historically dominant culture in literature, philosophy, and government. In response to this manipulation, Orozco demonstrates how the recent works of American writers such as Baldwin, Morrison, and Butler have executed a practice of radical imagination in order to reclaim identity, narrative, and history. This practice of radical imagination produces a forward vision consciousness that addresses the status of contemporary society and future obstacles that lie ahead.

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