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Grammar and Postmodern Style in Mumbo Jumb

       Ishmael Reed’s Mumbo Jumbo uses grammar and structure in ways that completely break the normal rules of writing. The sentences are uneven. Words suddenly appear in bold. Paragraphs stop without warning or begin in the middle of a thought. Sometimes there are images, sometimes headlines, sometimes long stretches that make no sense. And somehow it ends in a clean, straight thought.      As a reader, I found this style very strange. It felt messy and hard to follow, causing me to take more time than usual to really understand what was going on and sometimes I could not really understand what I was reading. I wanted the story to stay still and follow a pattern a 'normal' book would. As I was slowly understanding what was going on, the bold words and random shifts distracted me.      But I think that reaction is part of what Reed wanted. The confusion becomes part of the message. People who lived outside the postmodern movement often t...
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Fragile Pursuits: Coalhouse and Younger Brother in Ragtime

    In E. L. Doctorow’s Ragtime , Coalhouse Walker Jr and Younger Brother are defined by their pursuit of women who ultimately remain out of reach, resulting in them spiraling out of control. For Coalhouse, Sarah represents a second chance at true love, but social injustice and tragedy tear them apart. For Younger Brother, Evelyn Nesbit represents fantasy and desire that’s temporary and one-sided. Both men are left with loss, and their response to that loss propels them toward destruction.      Coalhouse comes to Father and Mother’s doors weekly to meet Sarah and their baby. He devotes time and patience to rebuild their relationship, and his persistence eventually persuades her to accept his marriage proposal. But Coalhouse’s encounter with systematic racism leads him to prioritize justice over seeking the American dream with Sarah and their child. When Sarah joins Coalhouse in his pursuit of justice, she is wrongfully identified as a threat and fatally inj...
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