
A survey of the importance of satire in African-American literature through the writings of three authors of different time periods: George Schuyler, Ralph Ellison and Paul Beatty. All three of these writers have been seen as important social critics who call attention to racial injustice. Yet they also seem uncomfortable with and critical of progressive movements. Why is it that satire so often seems hard to pin down? Is there something about satire itself that makes it elusive?