The Culture of Bruising: Essays on Prizefighting, Literature, and Modern American Culture

by Gerald Early

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"An essay must do more than say something," writes Gerald Early; "It must be something in its own right." The Culture of Bruising is Gerald Early's long-awaited sequel to his award-winning first volume of essays Tuxedo Junction and, in the same spirit, he explores not only a variety of subjects but the form of the essay itself. Early's cultural ruminations on the sport of prize-fighting form the intellectual core and central metaphor of this book. That is to say, his subject, when writing show more about boxing, is not just the culture of bruising or the world of the prizefighter but rather the culture as bruising - as a structure of opposition against the individual. Early's subjects range far and wide - essays in which he shares with us his considerable insights and expertise on such various subjects as multiculturalism and Black History Month, baseball, racist memorabilia, performance magic and race, Malcolm X, early jazz music, and finally, the raising of daughters. In every essay the form strengthens the content and gracefully balances the elements of research and opinion. Early becomes by turns the critic, skeptic, autobiographer, biographer, storyteller, cultural and literary scholar, detached citizen, and bemused parent. He integrates these voices with the skill of an accomplished choirmaster. The Culture of Bruising is an important and captivating collection of essays that treats issues of justice and racism in the context of sports, music, and other activities Americans value most. Early is a vigilant and highly sensitive observer of our culture, a culture based on the paradoxical combination of self-destruction and violence with personal empowerment and triumph. show less

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31+ Works 510 Members
Cornell University graduate Gerald Early is an essayist and professor at Washington University. Early was the director of African and Afro-American studies at Washington University and the director of the American Culture Studies Program. He was also named the Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters in Arts and Sciences. His essays have been show more included in Harpers, The New Republic, and Hungry Mind Review. His books include One Nation Under a Groove: Motown and American Culture, Lure and Loathing: Essays on Race, Identity and Ambivalence of Assimilation, and Body Language: Writers on Sport. Early received the National Book Critics Circle Award for his book The Culture of Bruising: Essays on Literature, Prizefighting, and Modern American Culture. (Bowker Author Biography) Gerald Early is the author of "The Culture of Bruising: Essays on Prizefighting, Literature, & Modern American Culture" & the editor of "The Muhammad Ali Reader". He is Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters at Washington University in St. Louis. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

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Classifications

Genres
Nonfiction, Sports and Leisure, Philosophy
DDC/MDS
796.8Arts & recreationRecreation, sports, and performing artsSportsWrestling / Martial Arts, Judo, Karate
LCC
GV1125 .E37Geography, Anthropology and RecreationRecreation. LeisureRecreation. LeisureSportsFighting sports: Bullfighting, boxing, fencing, etc.

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43
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685,939
Reviews
1
Rating
½ (4.67)
Languages
English
Media
Paper
ISBNs
2
ASINs
1