Journeys of the “I” in James Baldwin’s Literary-Journalistic Essays

Reaching toward the Reader

“…Much scholarly work has focused on this compelling essay, but, as William E. Dow has noted, there has been "a critical neglect of Baldwin's aesthetics. " 1 Dow points to Douglas Field's suggestion that "scholars no longer need to write about his critical neglect; the critical ground has been cleared, and it should make way for criticism that pays more attention to Baldwin's style-to his formal qualities as poet, playwright, novelist, and essay writer. " 2 Following Dow and Field's lead here, I argue in this article that the particular rhetorical strategies employed in "Notes of a Native Son" create an intimate, humanizing experience of evolving sentiment and understanding.…”