Great Plains Studies, Center for
Date of this Version
Spring 2010
Citation
Great Plains Quarterly 30:3 (Spring 2010).
Abstract
Gerald Vizenor's concept of survivance, first introduced in Manifest Manners (1994), articulates a means of conceiving new expressions of Native life, free from the simulated "Indian," thereby highlighting the cultural value of precontact history. In this anthology, eighteen scholars variously acknowledge Vizenor's contribution of survivance to literary analysis and the wide-ranging applications of his insights to contexts such as language, race, and culture.
Vizenor functions as both a contributor to and editor for this volume. His organization of the chapters is particularly noteworthy in the intricate ways each one relates to those in close proximity. Thus, he enters into dialogue with other contributors who interpret his critical and creative writings, as well as original writings by William Apess, Eric Gansworth, Simon Ortiz, Louis Owens, and Velma Wallis, to name a few. In addition, there are sections of interviews with both Diane Glancy and Joseph Boyden. As a whole, the contributors provide diverse approaches to Vizenor's concept of survivance, offering both theoretical foundations and examples of literary analysis for a variety of academic readers.
Comments
Copyright © 2010 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska.