"Born in a Mighty Bad Land": The Violent Man in African American Folklore and Fiction

The figure of the violent man in the African American imagination has a
long history. He can be found in 19th-century bad man ballads like
"Stagolee" and "John Hardy," as well as in the black convict
recitations that influenced "gangsta" rap. "Born in a Mighty Bad
Land" connects this figure with similar characters in African American fiction.
Many writers -- McKay and Hurston in the Harlem Renaissance; Wright, Baldwin, and
Ellison in the '40s and '50s; Himes in the '50…