The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of African-American Literary Criticism: 9780195060751: Gates Jr., Henry Louis

The Signifying Monkey is a groundbreaking study that explores the relationship between African and African-American vernacular traditions and black literature, providing a new critical approach located within this tradition that allows the black voice to speak for itself.

This book examines ancient poetry and myths found in African, Latin American, and Caribbean culture, particularly the Yoruba trickster figure of Esu-Elegbara and the Signifying Monkey whose myths help articulate the black tradition's theory of its literature.

The critical approach relies heavily on the Signifying Monkey and signification and Signifyin(g), providing an extended analysis of what the author calls the "Talking Book," a central trope in early slave narratives that virtually defines the tradition of black American letters.

This book examines several major works of African-American literature, including Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, and Ishmael Reed's Mumbo Jumbo, revealing how these works signify on the black tradition and on each other.

The Signifying Monkey is a must-read for anyone interested in literary theory, African-American literature, folklore, or literary history.