Title: The art of losing: historical allusions in Sherman Alexie's Reservation Blues
Source document: Brno studies in English. 2015, vol. 41, iss. 2, pp. [23]-41
Extent
[23]-41
-
ISSN0524-6881 (print)1805-0867 (online)
Persistent identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.5817/BSE2015-2-2
Stable URL (handle): https://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/135024
Type: Article
Language
License: Not specified license
Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.
Abstract(s)
In his capacity as poet, writer of novels and short stories and filmmaker, Sherman Alexie (b. 1966) has successfully bridged the cultural and social gap separating Native Americans from mainstream American society. With a combination of humor, wit, deep sensitivity, social satire and historical awareness, Alexie has effectively portrayed the contemporary plight of Native Americans isolated on reservations where many are doomed to live desperate lives on the distant periphery of American culture. The present study is an attempt to enhance appreciation of Alexie's novel Reservation Blues (1996) by examining a network of historical allusions appearing in the novel that lay bare the military, economic and social forces that undermined Native American culture, especially that of the Plateau Indians in the American Northwest, including that of Alexie's own tribe, the Spokanes. The study draws upon ideas from recent historical studies such as Heather Cox Richardson's Wounded Knee (2010) and Elliot West's The Last Indian War (2009) as well as sources used by Alexie himself in the writing of the novel.
References
[1] Alexie, Sherman (1996) Reservation Blues. New York: Grove Press.
[2] Alexie, Sherman (2005) The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Grove Press: New York.
[3] Alexie, Sherman (2007) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Google Books.
[4] Alexie, Sherman (2013) Blasphemy. New York: Grove Press.
[5] Arp, Thomas R. and Greg Johnson (eds.) (2008) Sound and Sense, 12th edition. Boston: Thomson-Wadsworth.
[6] Bird, Gloria (1995) "The Exaggeration of Despair in Sherman Alexie's 'Reservation Blues'". Wicazo Sa Review 11 (2): 37–52.
[7] Falzon, Christopher et al. (ed.) (2013) A Companion to Foucault. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
[8] Foucault, Michel (2003) "Society Must Be Defended." Lectures at the Collège de France 1976-1976 (Trans. David Macey). New York: Picador.
[9] Hoxie, Frederick E. (2001) Talking Back to Civilization: Indian Voices From the Progressive Era. Boston: Bedford.
[10] Jensen, Richard E. (ed.) (2005) The Indian Interviews of Eli S. Ricker, 1903-1919. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
[11] Morris, Roy, Jr. (1992) Sheridan: The Life and Wars of General Phil Sheridan. New York: Crown Publishing.
[12] Richardson, Heather Cox (2010) Wounded Knee: Party Politics and the Road to an American Massacre. New York: Basic Books.
[13] Sandoz, Mari (1942) Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of the Oglalas. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
[14] Schlicke, Carl P. (1988) General George Wright: Guardian of the Pacific Coast. University of Oklahoma Press.
[15] Stimson, William (1985) A View of the Falls: An Illustrated History of Spokane. Northridge, CA: Windson Publications.
[16] Stone, Brad Elliot (2013) "Power, Politics, Racism." In: Falzon, Christopher et al. (ed.) A Companion to Foucault. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 353–367.
[17] Turk, Diana et al. (2007) "Mingling Fact with Fiction: Strategies for Integrating Literature into History and Social Studies Classrooms." The History Teacher 40 (3): 398–407.
[18] Twain, Mark (1999) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Edited by Thomas Cooley. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
[19] Utley, Robert M. (1983) The Indian Frontier of the American West, 1846-1890. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.
[20] West, Eliot (2009) The Last Indian War: The Nez Perce Story. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[21] Wheelan, Joseph (2012) Terrible Swift Sword: The Life of General Philip H. Sheridan. New York: Da Capo Press.
[22] Wynecoop, David C. (1969) Children of the Sun: a History of the Spokane Indians Wellpinit. Washington: David C. Wynecoop.
[2] Alexie, Sherman (2005) The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Grove Press: New York.
[3] Alexie, Sherman (2007) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Google Books.
[4] Alexie, Sherman (2013) Blasphemy. New York: Grove Press.
[5] Arp, Thomas R. and Greg Johnson (eds.) (2008) Sound and Sense, 12th edition. Boston: Thomson-Wadsworth.
[6] Bird, Gloria (1995) "The Exaggeration of Despair in Sherman Alexie's 'Reservation Blues'". Wicazo Sa Review 11 (2): 37–52.
[7] Falzon, Christopher et al. (ed.) (2013) A Companion to Foucault. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
[8] Foucault, Michel (2003) "Society Must Be Defended." Lectures at the Collège de France 1976-1976 (Trans. David Macey). New York: Picador.
[9] Hoxie, Frederick E. (2001) Talking Back to Civilization: Indian Voices From the Progressive Era. Boston: Bedford.
[10] Jensen, Richard E. (ed.) (2005) The Indian Interviews of Eli S. Ricker, 1903-1919. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
[11] Morris, Roy, Jr. (1992) Sheridan: The Life and Wars of General Phil Sheridan. New York: Crown Publishing.
[12] Richardson, Heather Cox (2010) Wounded Knee: Party Politics and the Road to an American Massacre. New York: Basic Books.
[13] Sandoz, Mari (1942) Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of the Oglalas. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
[14] Schlicke, Carl P. (1988) General George Wright: Guardian of the Pacific Coast. University of Oklahoma Press.
[15] Stimson, William (1985) A View of the Falls: An Illustrated History of Spokane. Northridge, CA: Windson Publications.
[16] Stone, Brad Elliot (2013) "Power, Politics, Racism." In: Falzon, Christopher et al. (ed.) A Companion to Foucault. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 353–367.
[17] Turk, Diana et al. (2007) "Mingling Fact with Fiction: Strategies for Integrating Literature into History and Social Studies Classrooms." The History Teacher 40 (3): 398–407.
[18] Twain, Mark (1999) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Edited by Thomas Cooley. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
[19] Utley, Robert M. (1983) The Indian Frontier of the American West, 1846-1890. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.
[20] West, Eliot (2009) The Last Indian War: The Nez Perce Story. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[21] Wheelan, Joseph (2012) Terrible Swift Sword: The Life of General Philip H. Sheridan. New York: Da Capo Press.
[22] Wynecoop, David C. (1969) Children of the Sun: a History of the Spokane Indians Wellpinit. Washington: David C. Wynecoop.