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Authenticity Authenticity is a technical term used in psychology as well as existentialist philosophy and aesthetics (in regards to various arts and musical genres). In existentialism, authenticity is the degree to which one is true to one's own personality, spirit, or character, despite external pressures; the conscious self is seen as coming to terms with being in a material world and with encountering external forces, pressures, and influences which are very different from, and other than, itself. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authenticity_(philosophy) Great writing is not made of shocking information, but of the revealing of authentic truths. Within the historical backdrop of the American history, vaudeville and the negative stereotypes associated with blackface minstrels in American popular culture provide us with examples of how race was promoted within American popular culture. The conflation between minstrels and African American identity was so great, it became the primary standard of identifying African American culture to millions around the world.  Blackface would “try on the dialects and identity performance of blackness. These blackface minstrel characters reduced the complexity of African American identity and understanding of African American people. Ask yourself are your characters authentic? If your characters are not authentic, does that add or change the story? If your characters are not authentic, how is this expressed in the ways your are writing the story? |
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