In Wales Unchained Daniel G. Williams explores how Welsh writers, politicians and intellectuals have defined themselves – and have been defined by others – since the early twentieth century. Whether by exploring ideas of race in the 1930s or reflecting on the metaphoric uses of boxing, asking what it means to inhabit the ‘American century’ or probing the linguistic bases of cultural identity, Williams writes with a rare blend of theoretical sophistication and accessible clarity. This book discusses Rhys Davies in relation to D. H. Lawrence, explores the simultaneous impact that Dylan Thomas and saxophonist Charlie Parker had on the Beat Generation in 1950s America, and juxtaposes the uses made of class and ethnicity in the thought of Aneurin Bevan and Paul Robeson. Transatlantic in scope and comparative in method, this book will engage readers interested in literature, politics, history and contemporary cultural debate.
Daftar Isi
General Editor’s Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. The Lure of Race: Rhys Davies and D. H. Lawrence
2. Black and White: Boxing, Race and Modernity
3. Blood Jumps: Dylan Thomas, Charlie Parker and 1950s America
4. Class and Identity: Aneurin Bevan and Paul Robeson
5. To Know the Divisions: The Identity of Raymond Williams
6. American Freaks: Welsh Poets and the United States
7. Singing Unchained: Language, Nation and Multiculturalism