Against Categorization: Baldwin’s Search for American Liberation in Paris

Attached is a link to a literary analysis essay written for my course on James Baldwin, “Baldwin’s Literary Imagination.” This essay was the final project for the course. In it, I examine Baldwin’s writing across time and genre—nonfiction, fiction, and debate—to argue for the transformation of the writer’s perspective from anti-American to a staunch supporter of the nation’s values, when carried out at their best. A range of Baldwinian scholars were utilized in this examination, as well as several Baldwin works, including Giovanni’s Room and Notes of a Native Son.