The Fragrility of the "White" and the Grotesque of the "Black" Person in Joyce Carol Oates' Novel "Black Girl/White Girl"

Abstract

This paper reviews the fiction of Joyce Carol Oates which can easily be placed within the framework of poetics in novels, which is part of the tradition of American literature. Oates is often seen in connection with Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, and writers such as Faulkner and O'Connor. Oates' numerous novels—even those not explicitly considered poetic literature—often evoke a similar atmosphere, develop themes, and employ motifs and narrative strategies associated with poetic devices. They explore the dark side of human desires and the unconscious, and they feature grotesque and revolting plots, taboos and secrets, often linked to a person's personal past, but also linked to larger social issues. The connection between the personal and the social characterizes Oates' writing, and such a connection is also considered a defining feature of American poetics.