Anderson, Michael. “Trapped Inside James Baldwin.” New York 

Times. New York Times, 29 Mar 1998. Web. 9 Dec 2013.

This articles examines the many influences to James Baldwin’s literary work.  Anderson begins by mentioning Baldwin’s ability to express the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement in his writing.  His talent for capturing “interior drama” and translating his personal and cultural experiences into beautiful prose earned Baldwin a wide readership of loving fans.  Part of his appeal to a wide audience was his technique of making politics personal.  Anderson includes some biographical information about Baldwin’s upbringing with his abusive stepfather to articulate the importance of Baldwin’s personal history to his writing style.  Anderson goes on to assert that Baldwin’s fictional characters do not develop and that the author himself largely “avoided self-interrogation.”  Despite such a claim, he compares Baldwin’s artistic prose to that of Henry James, stating both authors “thought with his feelings.” Anderson concludes that Baldwin had the distinct ability to articulate the complexity of society and consciousness.