Mary Ellen Doyle. Voices from the Quarters: the Fiction of Ernest J. Gaines

African American Review, Summer, 2004 by Marc Steinberg

Though I find Doyle's analysis and prose style to be mostly appropriate and helpful to Gaines's scholars and casual readers alike, aspects of her style and approach might be distracting to some. Her critique is somewhat episodic, which adds to its clarity but ultimately seems a bit linear (moving from points A to B to C, and so on, during her discussion of each text). At times I was a bit surprised with the amount of plot summary she includes (especially in her discussions of The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and the uncollected short stories, though the summary is perhaps understandable in the latter case, since many have not read those stories). On occasion the reader wishes Doyle might have more fully communicated her ideas within the context of the criticism already out there. References to the works of other Gaines scholars are a bit limited.

One also encounters some awkward prose moments in the study. Quoting relatives' views of the fiction might be valid but yields some odd reading. Several times Doyle talks of a text reaching the "status" or "significance" of art. This assumes, of course, that standards of art are based upon agreed-upon assumptions. The occasional odd moment (for example, "Like water forced through a narrow channel or light intensified by focus, the feeling channeled and focused in this limited form gains power and impact") can, as I have noted, be distracting, but this never really detracts from the overall effectiveness and intelligence of Doyle's criticism.

The above criticisms aside, Doyle adds much to the discussion of Gaines's fiction. Scholars and readers alike will gain significant insight into Gaines's use of narration and dialogue. Any awkward prose is easily offset by Doyle's many insightful comments, such as her claim that the "creation of Miss Jane might be said to have begun in a certain primordial chaos of authorial imagination and experience" or her assertion, in discussing A Gathering of Old Men, that "black and white men are in a level shooting match in the dark; the alternation of racial narrators works like an exchange of shots." Clear, well-written, jargon-free prose like this will always be welcome in the literary community.

Marc Steinberg

Abraham Baldwin College