Arts and Humanities Commons^™

From Debussy To Duke: A Look At The Role Of Music, Race, And Sexuality In The Works Of Dany Laferrière, Kendall Smith

Celebration of Learning

Music is used every day as a way of expression. Dany Laferrière, a Haitian born author, uses music in his works to give the reader an idea of racial stereotypes of the black man and white women. The two books that will be the focus of this paper are Comment faire l’amour avec un Nègre sans se fatiguer (How to Make Love to a Black Man Without Getting Tired) and Vers le Sud (Heading South), which use jazz and classical music, respectively. Jazz music, specifically Duke Ellington, is used to show men’s and women’s sexuality through the lyrics and history …