Invisible Man
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- Create Date：2021-08-08 09:54:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ralph Ellison
- ISBN：0141184426
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Summary
'One of the most important American novels of the twentieth century' The Times
'It is sometimes advantageous to be unseen， although it is most often rather wearing on the nerves'
Ralph Ellison's blistering and impassioned first novel tells the extraordinary story of a man invisible 'simply because people refuse to see me'。 Published in 1952 when American society was in the cusp of immense change， the powerfully depicted adventures of Ellison's invisible man - from his expulsion from a Southern college to a terrifying Harlem race riot - go far beyond the story of one individual to give voice to the experience of an entire generation of black Americans。
This edition includes Ralph Ellison's introduction to the thirtieth anniversary edition of Invisible Man， a fascinating account of the novel's seven-year gestation。
With an Introduction by John F。 Callahan
'Brilliant' Saul Bellow
'It is sometimes advantageous to be unseen， although it is most often rather wearing on the nerves'
Ralph Ellison's blistering and impassioned first novel tells the extraordinary story of a man invisible 'simply because people refuse to see me'。 Published in 1952 when American society was in the cusp of immense change， the powerfully depicted adventures of Ellison's invisible man - from his expulsion from a Southern college to a terrifying Harlem race riot - go far beyond the story of one individual to give voice to the experience of an entire generation of black Americans。
This edition includes Ralph Ellison's introduction to the thirtieth anniversary edition of Invisible Man， a fascinating account of the novel's seven-year gestation。
With an Introduction by John F。 Callahan
'Brilliant' Saul Bellow
Reviews
Sebastian Apgar
，
I wanted to like this book。 I really did。 I just found it so difficult to sludge through。 I felt like it was way too slow with a lot of unnecessary exposition and it didn’t really lead to much in the end， and the faster parts were TOO fast to where you couldn’t understand anything。 For example， the ending felt a little sudden and rushed， and I had a lot of trouble understanding it。
Reanna Cornelius
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Very well written。
ruby
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Shoot。 I just wrote a whole review and it got deleted。 Overall， it was a good book。 A lot of times I got lost and confused， which meant for a lot of rereading。 Some of the parts in the book （specifically the first chapter with the electric mat and fighting） made me so sad， because I don't doubt for a second that these things did happen。 Also can someone explain the whole chapter with Mr。 Norton and Trueblood because if it is what I think it is 。。。 uh， what？The imagery in the book was amazing （al Shoot。 I just wrote a whole review and it got deleted。 Overall， it was a good book。 A lot of times I got lost and confused， which meant for a lot of rereading。 Some of the parts in the book （specifically the first chapter with the electric mat and fighting） made me so sad， because I don't doubt for a second that these things did happen。 Also can someone explain the whole chapter with Mr。 Norton and Trueblood because if it is what I think it is 。。。 uh， what？The imagery in the book was amazing （almost too much at times） but it had a lack of character development I feel。 The protagonist was developed so well but it felt like all the other characters showed up， made a few actions， and left with no development。 So many characters as well， it was hard to follow at some points。Finally， I wish there was someone to help me dissect and pick apart the epilogue？ I felt like there was a ton to unpack in the epilogue and I was left wondering what the protagonist meant by some of the sayings and statements。 。。。more
Juliebrown
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Im keeping notes by chapter:1。 Horrible and confusing Battle Royal2。 Stream of consciousness incest scene
Christy
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An incredible amount of self-reflection and analyzing others’ actions。
Holly
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3。5/5
Emily Perry
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This novel immersed me into a soul-shuttering world that prior to reading， my oblivious glass eyes failed to recognize exists in present-day reality。 A masterpiece that deserves all the praise。
Finn
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i read most of this for school and then school ended and i immediately lost motivation to read more。 it's very good though！！ i hope to finish it sometime i read most of this for school and then school ended and i immediately lost motivation to read more。 it's very good though！！ i hope to finish it sometime 。。。more
Laila （BigReadingLife）
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Made it to 53% on the audiobook。 Will try to finish it in paper form later since it's on my Classics Club list。 Made it to 53% on the audiobook。 Will try to finish it in paper form later since it's on my Classics Club list。 。。。more
Laura
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4。5/5A bit of a slow burn for me at the beginning， but as it developed I got really into it， and the earlier stuff tied nicely into later events。
Cindy
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I'm sure this is a great book but I just couldn't get into it。 Maybe I'll try again at a later time。 I'm sure this is a great book but I just couldn't get into it。 Maybe I'll try again at a later time。 。。。more
Kelly Dávila
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It was like seeing life from the perspective of someone who lost his marbles but of course， sometimes not being mentally stable lets us see stuff clearer and brighter。 This is the story of a black guy， from a little town， who tries to be successful and then life happens。 He also becomes a leader of a movement， but he's also some sort of puppet。 It was interesting sometimes， had a few astonishing moments， but mostly it was quite long and not my cup of tea。 It was like seeing life from the perspective of someone who lost his marbles but of course， sometimes not being mentally stable lets us see stuff clearer and brighter。 This is the story of a black guy， from a little town， who tries to be successful and then life happens。 He also becomes a leader of a movement， but he's also some sort of puppet。 It was interesting sometimes， had a few astonishing moments， but mostly it was quite long and not my cup of tea。 。。。more
Elizabeth Gabhart
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This book blew me away。 Every detail has symbolic significance。 Reading this book helped me understand the experience of Black people in the United States better than I did before。 Really great read！
Marianne Voigt
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Had potential， but took too long。 The point could have been made quicker and the end got too outlandish for me。
Brooke
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SK Rec
Rose Stanley
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An uncomfortable read， which， I suppose， is the point， but I also found that aspects of this verged on the grotesque。 The parts with the Trueblood family near the beginning and Sybil near the end left a particularly nasty taste in the mouth。 Appreciate the message here， but jury is still out re the delivery。
Laurel
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As relevant today as it was in the 1950s。 Acerbically hilarious， and venomously incisive。 The musicality of Ellison's writing was truly hypnotic。 As relevant today as it was in the 1950s。 Acerbically hilarious， and venomously incisive。 The musicality of Ellison's writing was truly hypnotic。 。。。more
Ann L。
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I had a hard time understanding bits and pieces of this book， so that is why I rate it a 3。 There were times it wasn't clear to me just what was going on。 I just couldn't quite get into it like I was hoping to， as many people rate this book higher numbers。 I had a hard time understanding bits and pieces of this book， so that is why I rate it a 3。 There were times it wasn't clear to me just what was going on。 I just couldn't quite get into it like I was hoping to， as many people rate this book higher numbers。 。。。more
Caleb
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The first half is transcendent， second half more forgettable。 But as a whole the plot is brilliantly constructed。
Roy Lotz
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I did not know what to expect when I opened this book。 It had been sitting in my house for years—decades， perhaps—bought by my mother for some forgotten reason in another time。 I knew， of course， that Ellison was a preeminent black writer。 But I did not know that he was a writer of nearly Flaubertian perfectionism and nearly Melvillian intellectual reach。 For this novel is equal parts fastidious and ambitious。ttTwo writers have already been mentioned， but a third immediately comes to mind: Kafka I did not know what to expect when I opened this book。 It had been sitting in my house for years—decades， perhaps—bought by my mother for some forgotten reason in another time。 I knew， of course， that Ellison was a preeminent black writer。 But I did not know that he was a writer of nearly Flaubertian perfectionism and nearly Melvillian intellectual reach。 For this novel is equal parts fastidious and ambitious。ttTwo writers have already been mentioned， but a third immediately comes to mind: Kafka。 Like that depressing bohemian， Ellison writes stories with a kind of surreal， nightmarish quality， which dance on the brink of plausibility。 The fast pacing keeps the reader off balance， too。 Though this novel is fairly long， quite a heck of a lot happens between the first page and the last。 Every time I expected a pause in the action， a moment of routine or reflection， Ellison threw his protagonist into another muddle—which certainly makes for exciting reading。ttBut the most impressive quality of this book is Ellison’s systematic examination of the various ways that African Americans have confronted the country’s racism。 We begin with Booker T。 Washington-style uplift and accommodationism， move on to political movements like communism and black nationalism， and end with near total disillusionment。 Particularly interesting， for me， was Ellison’s examination of leftist politics， and how its heavy emphasis on class consciousness could obscure the realities of racial resentment。ttAfter Invisible Man was released to near-universal acclaim， Ellison would spend the rest of his life working on a novel that he never saw fit to publish。 He left over 2，000 pages of the manuscript after his death， which was later condensed and published as Juneteenth。 In other words， if Ellison was fine with sending this book to the printer， it met standards far higher than mine。 。。。more
Catrina Berka
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Another “Classic” DNF。 I only got about halfway through this one but I give up…at least for now。 I have too much assigned reading for grad school to struggle with reading on my own time。
Paul Stevens
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Very good book。 So much to unpack and think about。
Clare Snow
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I was just recommended this for the second time。 I better go second hand book shopping and get my hands on it。
Brett Linsley
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Incredible。 I was recently made aware that Ellison was influenced by TS Eliot。 No surprise as "Invisible Man" is the exemplification of what Eliot believed about the interaction between an individual talent and the literary tradition。 "Invisible Man" echoes strongly （even patently） of Dostoevsky， Melville， Dubois， and perhaps even some Aldous Huxley。 But even as these influences are present， Ellison has synthesized them so masterfully into a modern American vernacular and setting that he in turn Incredible。 I was recently made aware that Ellison was influenced by TS Eliot。 No surprise as "Invisible Man" is the exemplification of what Eliot believed about the interaction between an individual talent and the literary tradition。 "Invisible Man" echoes strongly （even patently） of Dostoevsky， Melville， Dubois， and perhaps even some Aldous Huxley。 But even as these influences are present， Ellison has synthesized them so masterfully into a modern American vernacular and setting that he in turn， and unconsciously， affects the way we look back and read works by those earlier masters。 No surprise that Ellison refers to Louis Armstrong and the jazz tradition on the final pages of the book。 American art and the future of the nation itself rests on our ability to understand the dance which is simultaneously revering and violating tradition in a limbo of uncertainty that drives us forward。 The cerebral， nightmarish rhythm of the book draws us into that limbo in a way most memorable。 A must read for the person who wants to be a thoughtful American citizen。 。。。more
Laura
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First read has been like visiting a place I've never been and now want to revisit because I realize I just don't know。 First read has been like visiting a place I've never been and now want to revisit because I realize I just don't know。 。。。more
Yvonne
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3。5 StarsGripping perspective of uncomfortable realities。 An important work， with mounting aggression and philosophical undertones that make it difficult to fully understand or follow at times。 A work that begs to be reread so as to be analyzed， as it appears to be written like an essay in disguise as a narrative。Title: Invisible ManAuthor: Ralph Ellison， American writerPublication: 1952， USAHistorical Influences: Jazz Age， Existentialism， Marxism， Booker T。 Washington， Frederick DouglassAwards: 3。5 StarsGripping perspective of uncomfortable realities。 An important work， with mounting aggression and philosophical undertones that make it difficult to fully understand or follow at times。 A work that begs to be reread so as to be analyzed， as it appears to be written like an essay in disguise as a narrative。Title: Invisible ManAuthor: Ralph Ellison， American writerPublication: 1952， USAHistorical Influences: Jazz Age， Existentialism， Marxism， Booker T。 Washington， Frederick DouglassAwards: National Book Award （1953）Description: A timely bildungsroman addressing identity and racial prejudice with themes of vision， perspective， blindness， invisibility。 。。。more
Mary。Ridleycogeco。Ca
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I didn't think I would finish the book。 I had to renew it which meant a 3 month gap。 I almost decided to skip it as much of the first half would be forgotten。 As it was so highly recommended I decided to give a try。 The second half was a more intesting read。 The ending was worth it。 I didn't think I would finish the book。 I had to renew it which meant a 3 month gap。 I almost decided to skip it as much of the first half would be forgotten。 As it was so highly recommended I decided to give a try。 The second half was a more intesting read。 The ending was worth it。 。。。more
Maxx
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summer reading… you know how it is; tough to get through but good messages and lessons。
sierra :）
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Read this for our class novel study in AP English Lit last semester。 Wrote 2 essays on it。 Agreed with some things， felt iffy about other things （coming from my Christian perspective）。 3/5。
Max Palys
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Is this book about race？ Yes， and rightly so。 It starts and ends with race， at least。 But what happens in-between is about being a man， a person， not a literally nameless member of a race。 This book isn’t an inciting incident。 It’s a gargantuan undertaking of a man’s life， written so completely and beautifully that it commands attention。 It’s not for the faint of heart， mostly because of its length and scope。 The writing was lovely， the scenes scintillating， the speeches riveting， the drama whol Is this book about race？ Yes， and rightly so。 It starts and ends with race， at least。 But what happens in-between is about being a man， a person， not a literally nameless member of a race。 This book isn’t an inciting incident。 It’s a gargantuan undertaking of a man’s life， written so completely and beautifully that it commands attention。 It’s not for the faint of heart， mostly because of its length and scope。 The writing was lovely， the scenes scintillating， the speeches riveting， the drama whole。 But a man emerged from this book， one who could be seen by all。 In general， the characters in Ellison’s work are great。 The little habits and details attributed to each person allow even minor characters to come alive。 The settings similarly explode off the page。 And I must again emphasize the scope of this work as a positive — try to separate that from the sheer length。 Scope refers to the time frame covered in the work， while length refers mostly to the literal amount of pages and the sometimes overly-verbose prose。 My criticism lies mostly in the themes of this work。 The whole visibility thing wasn’t really my cup of tea， at least not in the race interpretation。 Perhaps that is because by today’s standards， this book hardly seems antiracist so much as a fact sheet on the horrors of racism。 That itself may stand as a testament to our progress， optimistically speaking。 But in general， the visibility didn’t really work out for me in that manner。 The characters punched far harder， and the supposed visibility of the author instead transferred into internal development rather than external theme。 A bit flat。 The book is a tad too long， and things just sort of happen。 A lovely， perhaps too long， coming-of-age epic that moves from the hyper-racist， invisible south into the throes of a Harlem embroiled in a different kind of racial battle。 Read this for a character arc that will leave you feeling like you watched a close friend grow into adulthood but who still has much to learn。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Invisible Man
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Invisible Man&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Invisible Man&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0