The Satire of Ishmael Reed

This book addresses a gap in Ishmael Reed scholarship by contextualizing his use of satire and by establishing which satirical techniques are most frequently used and when. It demonstrates that Reed’s satire has evolved from a stage which frequently criticizes society through non-standard sexuality (as can be seen in his early novels) to a stage which frequently criticizes through logical argumentation (as can be seen in novels published after 1990). The book connects these two modes of satire to two types of American racism: overt (present in the public discourse until the Civil Rights Movement) and covert (present in the public discourse after the Civil Rights Movement). It concludes by illustrating that as overt racism became unacceptable in American public discourse, Ishmael Reed updated his satire so that it would remain an effective type of social critique. The book is intended for those interested in the novels of Ishmael Reed, African American literature, and satire.