BibTex RIS Cite

Re-inscribing Ancient Connections, Following New Trajectories in Native American Literature: William Sanders’ The Ballad of Billy Badass and the Rose of Turkestan

Year 2007, Issue: 26, 35 - 49, 01.10.2007

Abstract

From the outset, the modern Native American novel has attempted to demolish the stereotypical representations constructed in mainstream literature—whether negative or positive—and substitute more authentically drawn portraits of American Indians. Those one-dimensional creations of European and Euro-American literature, “the noble savage” and “the bloodthirsty savage,” have been replaced with complex characters who commingle flaws and virtues, who experience the full range of human thought and emotions, but who express those ideas and feelings, as we all do, in ways shaped by their particular culture, social context, and historical experience. Above all, the stereotype of “the vanishing Indian” has itself vanished to be superceded by characters who survive and adapt to modernity and westernization utilizing an array of strategies that enable them to retain as much of their traditional value systems as possible.2 This is what the Anishnaabe writer Gerald Vizenor has called “survivance,” i.e., not mere survival, not just staying alive but, rather, actively coping, persistently denying the objectification imposed by the dominant society, continually refusing to be passive victims.

References

  • Alexie, Sherman. Indian Killer. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1996.
  • Armstrong, Jeanette. Slash. Penticton, British Columbia: Theytus Books, 1988.
  • Bhabha, Homi. The Location of Culture. London: Routledge, 1994.
  • Blevins, Win. The Rock Child: A Novel of a Journey. New York: Forge, 1998.
  • Carr, A. A. Eye Killers. Norman, OK: U of Oklahoma P, 1996.
  • DeLillo, Don. Underworld. New York: Scribners, 1997.
  • Davidson, Arnold E., Priscilla Walton, and Jennifer Andrews. Border Crossings: Thomas King’s Cultural Inversions. Toronto, ON: U of Toronto P, 2003.
  • Donaldson, John K. “Arnold E. Davidson, Priscilla L. Walton, and Jennifer Andrews, Border Crossings: Thomas King’s Cultural Inversions.” American Studies International 41.3 (2003).
  • ---. “As Long as the Waters Shall Run: The ‘Obstructed Water’ Metaphor in American Indian Fiction.” American Studies International 40.2 (2002).
  • ---. “Chris LaLonde, Grave Concerns, Trickster Turns: The Novels of Louis Owens.” American Studies International 41.2 (2003).
  • ---. “Native American Sleuths: Following in the Footsteps of the Indian Guides?” Telling the Stories: Essays on American Literatures and Cultures. New York: Peter Lang, 2001.
  • ---. “The Themes of Reciprocity and Renewal in Traditional Cherokee Culture.” Diss. George Washington U, 1995.
  • ---. “Trademark or Metaphor?: Two Case Studies of ‘Mixblood’ Writing in the United States Today.” Canadian Review of American Studies 27. 3 (1997): 215-236.
  • Highway, Tomson. Kiss of the Fur Queen. Toronto, ON: Doubleday Canada; 1998.
  • Hogan, Linda. Solar Storms: A Novel. New York: Scribners, 1995.
  • Jones, Stephen Graham. The Fast Red Road: A Plainsong. Chicago, IL: Northwestern U P, 2000.
  • King, Thomas. Green Grass, Running Water. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
  • LaLonde, Chris. Grave Concerns, Trickster Turns: The Novels of Louis Owens. American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series 43. Norman, OK: U of Oklahoma P, 2002.
  • Marchessault, Jovette. Le Crachat Solaire. Comme Un Enfant de la Terre. Vol. 1. Montreal: Leméac, 1975.
  • ---. Like a Child of the Earth. Trans. Yvonne Klein. Vancouver, B.C.: Talonbooks, 1988.
  • McCutcheon, James. Electric Rivers: The Story of the James Bay Project. Toronto, ON: U of Toronto P, Black Rose Books, 1992.
  • Mourning Dove. Cogewea, the Half Blood: A Depiction of the Great Montana Cattle Range. Lincoln, NE: U of Nebraska P, 1987 [1927].
  • Mooney, James. Myths of the Cherokee. Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, 1897-98. Washington, DC: GPO, 1900. 3-576
  • Owens, Louis. Nightland. New York: Dutton, 1996.
  • ---. The Sharpest Sight. American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series. Vol. 1. Norman, OK: U of Oklahoma P, 1992.
  • Sanders, William. The Ballad of Billy Badass and the Rose of Turkestan. Philadelphia, PA: Xlibris Corporation, 1999.
  • ---. Blood Autumn: A Taggart Roper Mystery. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995.
  • Seals, David. The Powwow Highway: A Novel. New York: Plume, 1990.
  • Silko, Leslie Marmon. Gardens in the Dunes. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999.
  • Sirois, Al. “The Ballad of Billy Badass and the Rose of Turkestan.” Outside, May 1999.
  • Speck, Frank G. and Leonard Broom. Cherokee Dance and Drama. With the collaboration of Will West Long. Berkeley, CA: U of California P, 1951; reprint, Norman, OK: U of Oklahoma P, 1983.
  • Vizenor, Gerald. Griever: An American Monkey King in China. Minneapolis, MN: U of Minnesota P, 1998.
  • Welch, James. The Heartsong of Charging Elk. New York: Doubleday, 2000. ---. Fool’s Crow. New York: Penguin Books, 1986.
Year 2007, Issue: 26, 35 - 49, 01.10.2007

Abstract

References

  • Alexie, Sherman. Indian Killer. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1996.
  • Armstrong, Jeanette. Slash. Penticton, British Columbia: Theytus Books, 1988.
  • Bhabha, Homi. The Location of Culture. London: Routledge, 1994.
  • Blevins, Win. The Rock Child: A Novel of a Journey. New York: Forge, 1998.
  • Carr, A. A. Eye Killers. Norman, OK: U of Oklahoma P, 1996.
  • DeLillo, Don. Underworld. New York: Scribners, 1997.
  • Davidson, Arnold E., Priscilla Walton, and Jennifer Andrews. Border Crossings: Thomas King’s Cultural Inversions. Toronto, ON: U of Toronto P, 2003.
  • Donaldson, John K. “Arnold E. Davidson, Priscilla L. Walton, and Jennifer Andrews, Border Crossings: Thomas King’s Cultural Inversions.” American Studies International 41.3 (2003).
  • ---. “As Long as the Waters Shall Run: The ‘Obstructed Water’ Metaphor in American Indian Fiction.” American Studies International 40.2 (2002).
  • ---. “Chris LaLonde, Grave Concerns, Trickster Turns: The Novels of Louis Owens.” American Studies International 41.2 (2003).
  • ---. “Native American Sleuths: Following in the Footsteps of the Indian Guides?” Telling the Stories: Essays on American Literatures and Cultures. New York: Peter Lang, 2001.
  • ---. “The Themes of Reciprocity and Renewal in Traditional Cherokee Culture.” Diss. George Washington U, 1995.
  • ---. “Trademark or Metaphor?: Two Case Studies of ‘Mixblood’ Writing in the United States Today.” Canadian Review of American Studies 27. 3 (1997): 215-236.
  • Highway, Tomson. Kiss of the Fur Queen. Toronto, ON: Doubleday Canada; 1998.
  • Hogan, Linda. Solar Storms: A Novel. New York: Scribners, 1995.
  • Jones, Stephen Graham. The Fast Red Road: A Plainsong. Chicago, IL: Northwestern U P, 2000.
  • King, Thomas. Green Grass, Running Water. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
  • LaLonde, Chris. Grave Concerns, Trickster Turns: The Novels of Louis Owens. American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series 43. Norman, OK: U of Oklahoma P, 2002.
  • Marchessault, Jovette. Le Crachat Solaire. Comme Un Enfant de la Terre. Vol. 1. Montreal: Leméac, 1975.
  • ---. Like a Child of the Earth. Trans. Yvonne Klein. Vancouver, B.C.: Talonbooks, 1988.
  • McCutcheon, James. Electric Rivers: The Story of the James Bay Project. Toronto, ON: U of Toronto P, Black Rose Books, 1992.
  • Mourning Dove. Cogewea, the Half Blood: A Depiction of the Great Montana Cattle Range. Lincoln, NE: U of Nebraska P, 1987 [1927].
  • Mooney, James. Myths of the Cherokee. Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, 1897-98. Washington, DC: GPO, 1900. 3-576
  • Owens, Louis. Nightland. New York: Dutton, 1996.
  • ---. The Sharpest Sight. American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series. Vol. 1. Norman, OK: U of Oklahoma P, 1992.
  • Sanders, William. The Ballad of Billy Badass and the Rose of Turkestan. Philadelphia, PA: Xlibris Corporation, 1999.
  • ---. Blood Autumn: A Taggart Roper Mystery. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995.
  • Seals, David. The Powwow Highway: A Novel. New York: Plume, 1990.
  • Silko, Leslie Marmon. Gardens in the Dunes. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999.
  • Sirois, Al. “The Ballad of Billy Badass and the Rose of Turkestan.” Outside, May 1999.
  • Speck, Frank G. and Leonard Broom. Cherokee Dance and Drama. With the collaboration of Will West Long. Berkeley, CA: U of California P, 1951; reprint, Norman, OK: U of Oklahoma P, 1983.
  • Vizenor, Gerald. Griever: An American Monkey King in China. Minneapolis, MN: U of Minnesota P, 1998.
  • Welch, James. The Heartsong of Charging Elk. New York: Doubleday, 2000. ---. Fool’s Crow. New York: Penguin Books, 1986.
There are 33 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

John Donaldson This is me

Publication Date October 1, 2007
Published in Issue Year 2007 Issue: 26

Cite

MLA Donaldson, John. “Re-Inscribing Ancient Connections, Following New Trajectories in Native American Literature: William Sanders’ The Ballad of Billy Badass and the Rose of Turkestan”. Journal of American Studies of Turkey, no. 26, 2007, pp. 35-49.

JAST - Journal of American Studies of Turkey