Charles Chesnutt’s Goophered Grapevine (The Atlantic Monthly 1887) and The Sherriff’s Children (Nov. 1899).

Today we talked about the element of resistance in the medieval idea of Carnival and how it has morphed into the modern-day, middle-class novel. Shortly before Chesnutt published “The Sheriff’s Children” (Nov. 1899), he published an essay entitled “What is a White Man?” How does “Sheriff’s Children” address this question? How does he "resist" popular notions of racial identity? How do you think this topic went over with readers? As you probably guess, he was criticized for highlighting issues of miscegenation; critics felt he should return to his folktales, which were so popular with readers, such as “The Goophered Grapevine.” Yet is “Goophered” benign? Critic Charles Warner argues that “[Goophered] adapts the folk practice of "masking" to counteract the racial stereotypes held by its predominantly white audience.” So then, how is Julius “performing” for his white audience? Keep in mind that there is a story within a story. Why would Chesnutt do this? Why not have Uncle Julius tell the whole story to begin with? Furthermore, Warner states that Chesnutt echoes the "stereotypical association of blacks with nature (rather than culture), Chesnutt images the haunted ("goophered") slave Henry as an extension of the grapevine.” Keep in mind again what we discussed today—that whites often saw black Americans as a commodity rather than equal human beings. Blog your thoughts.
Source: Craig Hansen Werner, "The Goophered Grapevines: Overview" in Reference Guide to Short Fiction, 1st ed., edited by Noelle Watson, St. James Press, 1994.