Carnival, Convents, and the Cult of St. Rocque: Cultural Subterfuge in the Work of Alice Dunbar-Nelson

Author

Sibongile B. Lynch, Georgia State UniversityFollow

Date of Award

Summer 8-9-2012

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

First Advisor

Elizabeth J. West

Second Advisor

Audrey Goodman

Third Advisor

Carol Marsh-Lockett

Abstract

In the work of Alice Dunbar-Nelson the city and culture of 19^th century New Orleans figures prominently, and is a major character affecting the lives of her protagonists. While race, class, and gender are among the focuses of many scholars the eccentricity and cultural history of the most exotic American city, and its impact on Dunbar-Nelson’s writing is unmistakable. This essay will discuss how the diverse cultural environment of New Orleans in the 19^th century allowed Alice Dunbar Nelson to create narratives which allowed her short stories to speak to the shifting identities of women and the social uncertainty of African Americans in the Jim Crow south. A consideration of New Orleans’ cultural history is important when reading Dunbar-Nelson’s work, whose significance has often been disregarded because of what some considered its lack of racial markers.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/3096686

Recommended Citation

Lynch, Sibongile B., "Carnival, Convents, and the Cult of St. Rocque: Cultural Subterfuge in the Work of Alice Dunbar-Nelson." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2012.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/3096686