The Amen Corner

(1955), a three-act play about Harlem churches, was James Baldwin's first attempt at theater, which followed

Go Tell It on the Mountain

and focused on the conflicts between art and religion, love of others and love of the Lord, as well as parents and children and men and women in the black church. The action takes place at a storefront place of worship, which is attached to and in fact dominates a modest apartment of its Pentecostal minister, Sister Margaret. She lives with her eighteen-year old son, David, who plays the piano in the church, and her unmarried sister, Odessa. The action takes place over a week and is bracketed by Sunday worships.

Act 1 begins with the church chorus singing, the elders testifying, and Sister Margaret preaching on obedience and morality. She

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Citation: Zaborowska, Magdalena J.. "Amen Corner". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 June 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6742, accessed 19 March 2024.]

6742 Amen Corner 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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