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  • Bulldaggers, Pansies, and Chocolate Babies: Performance, Race, and Sexuality in the Harlem Renaissance (Triangulations: Lesbian/Gay/Queer Theater/Drama/Performance)
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Bulldaggers, Pansies, and Chocolate Babies: Performance, Race, and Sexuality in the Harlem Renaissance (Triangulations: Lesbian/Gay/Queer Theater/Drama/Performance) Kindle Edition

by James F. Wilson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 12 ratings
3.9 on Goodreads
20 ratings

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Bulldaggers, Pansies, and Chocolate Babies shines the spotlight on historically neglected plays and performances that challenged early twentieth-century notions of the stratification of race, gender, class, and sexual orientation. On Broadway stages, in Harlem nightclubs and dance halls, and within private homes sponsoring rent parties, African American performers of the 1920s and early 1930s teased the limits of white middle-class morality. Blues-singing lesbians, popularly known as "bulldaggers," performed bawdy songs; cross-dressing men vied for the top prizes in lavish drag balls; and black and white women flaunted their sexuality in scandalous melodramas and musical revues. Race leaders, preachers, and theater critics spoke out against these performances that threatened to undermine social and political progress, but to no avail: mainstream audiences could not get enough of the riotous entertainment.James F. Wilson has based his rich cultural history on a wide range of documents from the period, including eyewitness accounts, newspaper reports, songs, and play scripts, combining archival research with an analysis grounded in a cultural studies framework that incorporates both queer theory and critical race theory. Throughout, he argues against the widely held belief that the stereotypical forms of black, lesbian, and gay show business of the 1920s prohibited the emergence of distinctive new voices. Figuring prominently in the book are African American performers including Gladys Bentley, Ethel Waters, and Florence Mills, among others, and prominent writers, artists, and leaders of the era, including Langston Hughes, Wallace Thurman, Zora Neale Hurston, and W. E. B. Du Bois. The study also engages with contemporary literary critics, including Henry Louis Gates and Houston Baker. "James F. Wilson uncovers fascinating new material on the Harlem Renaissance, shedding light on the oft-forgotten gay and lesbian contributions to the era's creativity and Civil Rights. Extremely well researched, compellingly written, and highly informative."
—David Krasner, author of A Beautiful Pageant: African American Theatre, Drama, and Performance in the Harlem Renaissance, 1910-1927
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  1. Part of series
    Triangulations: Lesbian/Gay/Queer Theater/Drama/Performance
  2. Print length
    262 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    University of Michigan Press
  5. Accessibility
    Learn more
  6. Publication date
    June 20 2023
  7. File size
    10.8 MB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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About the Author

James F. Wilsonis Professor of English and Theater at LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York.

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

Review

"Scholars across myriad fields will, no doubt, find the book an invaluable resource and teaching tool."
—Isaiah Matthew Wooden, Theatre Journal
― Theatre Journal Published On: 2013-02-22 --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DVLG3ZXX
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Michigan Press
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 20 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 10.8 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 262 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0472904044
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Part of series ‏ : ‎ Triangulations: Lesbian/Gay/Queer Theater/Drama/Performance
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

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James F. Wilson

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4.1 out of 5 stars
12 global ratings

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  • Kevin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book
    Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Wilson's exploration of 1920s & 30s Harlem. The reader is introduced to such fascinating performers as Gladys Bentley, Florence Mills and of course, Ethel Waters. This era was teeming with artistic talent. This book is scholarly yet highly readable.
    Report
  • M. M. Wright
    3.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for U.S. show biz buffs
    Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    Much more overseeing and creative, satisfying in its narratives than I had anticipated! This is more than just a bare narrative of names, dates, and events. This is a very thoughtful, engrossing analysis of what it MEANT (and did not mean) for "queer" black entertainers in the 10s, 20s and 30s to market themselves as desiring subjects. This book also avoids simplistic hagiographies (i.e., because someone didn't fit the norm at the time and actively resisted, we must assume them to be heroic and clearly of the same political views are ourselves decades later). As a result, one leaves the book feeling one has read about REAL, complex people who were at times heroic, at times cowardly, at times we really cannot say, only guess.
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  • History Buff
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and Well-Researched
    Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Highly recommended.
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  • M Hirschfeld
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is a fascinating look at an under-examined historical subculture.
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