I. Augustus Durham, "Stay Black and Die: On Melancholy and Genius" (Duke UP, 2023)
New Books in Critical Theory
Deep Dive
What is the central theme of I. Augustus Durham's book 'Stay Black and Die: On Melancholy and Genius'?
The book explores the relationship between melancholy and genius in Black culture, focusing on the role of the Black mother as both a lost object and a found subject in the production of Black masculinist genius. Durham uses psychoanalysis and affect theory to analyze figures like Frederick Douglass, Ralph Ellison, Marvin Gaye, Octavia Butler, and Kendrick Lamar, showing how their cultural practices and aesthetics reveal the lost mother through performance.
How did the phrase 'Stay Black and Die' influence Durham's work?
The phrase 'Stay Black and Die,' which Durham's mother often told him as a child, became a central motif in his exploration of melancholy and genius. It resonated with other cultural and literary references, such as Frantz Fanon's 'See Paris and Die' and the biblical 'Curse God and Die,' leading Durham to investigate the connections between these phrases and the themes of loss, motherhood, and genius in Black culture.
Why did Durham choose Frederick Douglass as a key figure in his book?
Frederick Douglass was chosen because of his psychoanalytic engagement with his relationship to his mother, which Durham argues predates the formal emergence of psychoanalysis. Douglass's autobiographies reveal a deep connection to his matrilineage, which Durham sees as a catalyst for his intellectual and cultural genius.
What role does Ralph Ellison's relationship with women play in Durham's analysis?
Durham examines how women in Ralph Ellison's life, such as his piano teacher Miss Hazel Harrison, influenced his genius. Ellison's work, particularly 'Invisible Man,' is read as allegorical of these relationships, with women providing the sound, noise, and maternal figures that shape his artistic and intellectual development.
How does Durham interpret Marvin Gaye's falsetto in the context of masculinity and melancholy?
Durham interprets Marvin Gaye's falsetto as a performance of masculinity that engages with gender trouble. Gaye's use of falsetto, which interpolates Black female vocality, reflects his ambivalence around gender and his struggles with masculinity, particularly in the context of his traumatic relationship with his father.
What is the significance of Octavia Butler's 'Bloodchild' in Durham's book?
Octavia Butler's 'Bloodchild' is significant because it explores themes of gender, melancholy, and genius through the story of a pregnant boy. Durham uses the story to critique the strictness of gender categories and to show how Butler's imaginative act engages with gender trouble before the rise of gender theory in the 1980s and 1990s.
How does Durham connect Kendrick Lamar's work to the themes of melancholy and genius?
Durham connects Kendrick Lamar's work, particularly 'To Pimp a Butterfly,' to the themes of melancholy and genius by examining how Lamar's music and lyrics reflect his relationship with his mother and his struggles with identity. Durham also explores the psychoanalytic elements in Lamar's music videos, such as the mirror phase, to show how Lamar engages with the blues idiom and psychoanalytic thought.
- Durham's childhood memory of his mother's phrase, "Stay Black and Die," sparked his interest in melancholy.
- His PhD exams on "Stay Black and Die," "See Paris and Die," and "Curse God and Die" shaped the book's direction.
- The focus shifted from black men's relationship with the divine to their relationship with their mothers and how that melancholy might be generative of genius.
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