James Baldwin and the Heavenly City: Prophecy, Apocalypse, and Doubt

Christopher Z. Hobson | 2018

Overview

This study explores James Baldwin's profound use of religious language to articulate social and sexual transformation. It reveals how Baldwin's novels employ biblical ideas, in ways that are partly but not fully secularized, to convey the potential for human attainment of a new life characterized by a tangible, indefinable holiness. The book examines Baldwin's six novels, alongside his essays, stories, and drama, demonstrating his method of recasting biblical and African American prophetic traditions to uncover their liberating essence.

Who it's for

• Readers interested in James Baldwin's literary and theological dimensions.
• Students and scholars of American literature and religious studies.
• Those exploring the intersection of faith, social change, and identity in literature.

Key features

• Focuses on Baldwin's novels, essays, stories, and drama.
• Analyzes themes of prophetic tradition, the 'apocalyptic body,' and the 'apocalyptic city.'
• Examines the dynamic between prophecy and doubt in Baldwin's work.
• Provides new interpretations of Baldwin's fiction, including his later works.
• Highlights the centrality of Gospel and blues music in his imaginative landscape.
• Hardcover edition with 258 pages.