Porgy

By DuBose Heyward

Book Overview

Porgy by DuBose Heyward with an afterword by James M. Hutchisson This is the first major southern novel to portray African Americans outside the stereotypes. This novel is the story of Porgy, a crippled street-beggar in the black tenement. Unwashed and unwanted, he lives just on the edge of subsistence and trusts his fate to the gods and chance. His one shining moment is his pursuit of Bess, whom he wins and then loses during one summer of passion and violence. The fictional characters of Porgy, Bess, Black Maria, Sportin' Life, and the other Gullah denizens of Catfish Row have attained a mythic status and have become inextricably identified with Charleston. This story by DuBose Heyward is, of course, the origin of George Gershwin's acclaimed folk opera Porgy and Bess. Heyward created Porgy with such sympathy, honesty, and insight that Porgy has ascended into the pantheon of the universal. This edition includes an afterword by James M. Hutchisson, Heyward's biographer, who places Porgy in its social and historical context and shows how the novel revolutionized American literature. In 1927, even before Gershwin transformed the novel with a musical score, the book was successfully dramatized for the New York stage. The production revolutionized the black theater movement with its casting of black actors. Porgy, published in 1925, proved to be on the leading edge of the great southern renaissance, in which works by William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, and others would depict black characters of increasingly emotional and psychological complexity. DuBose Heyward (1885-1940) published Porgy to tremendous critical acclaim and financial success. He wrote poetry, short fiction, plays, and screenplays. James M. Hutchisson, a professor of English at The Citadel in Charleston, is the author of DuBose Heyward: A Charleston Gentleman and the World of Porgy and Bess (University Press of Mississippi).

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578063566
• ISBN13: 9781578063567
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Porgy - One Facet of Early 20th Century "Negro" Society

Porgy is a classic tale well known to most. I purchased the book with mixed emotions. One part of me was apprehensive about an Anglo-Saxon's interpretation of one "segment" of the black community is the early 1900s. Another part of me wanted to know the full story that has captured the hearts and minds of so many people of various backgrounds, as long as I can remember. Needless to say, I'm very glad I read the book. Given the popularity of this story, I'm not compelled to analyze any aspect of it. I will just suggest that you read it for yourself. The book is short, sweet, and full of life. By the time you get to the end, Porgy and Bess will have softened your heart and made you glad for investing the time. However, be mindful that the book only depicts one segment of the community...by no means does Porgy reflect the experiences and struggles of all, or even most, of Charlestown's early 20th century "Negro" society.

Porgy

Great! It was a tremendous aid in my preparation for a role in Porgy & Bess!