The Routledge Introduction to African American Literature

195 Pages·2016·1.77 MB·English

by  D. Quentin Miller

THE ROUTLEDGE INTRODUCTION TO
AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE
The Routledge Introduction to African American Literature considers the key literary,
political, historical, and intellectual contexts of African American literature from its
origins to the present, and also provides students with an analysis of the most up-
to-date literary trends and debates in this field. This accessible and engaging guide
covers a variety of essential topics such as:
(cid:1) The origins of African American literature
(cid:1) The emergence of slave narratives
(cid:1) The Harlem Renaissance
(cid:1) Mid-twentieth-century black American literature
(cid:1) Literature of the Civil Rights and Black Power eras
(cid:1) Contemporary African American writing
(cid:1) Key theoretical debates within the field
Examining the relationship between the literature and its sociopolitical contexts,
Quentin Miller covers key authors and works as well as less canonical writers and
themes,includingliteratureandmusic,femaleauthors,queerwritingandtransnational
blackwriting.
D. Quentin Miller is Professor of English at Suffolk University, USA.
ROUTLEDGE INTRODUCTIONS TO AMERICAN LITERATURE
Series Editors: D. Quentin Miller and Wendy Martin
Routledge Introductions to American Literature provide a comprehensive overview
of the most important topics in American literature in its historical, cultural, and
intellectual contexts. They presentthemostup-to-datetrends, debates,andexciting
new directions in the field, opening the way for further study.
The volumes in the series examine the ways in which both canonical and lesser
known writers from diverse cultural backgrounds have shaped American literary
traditions. In addition to providing insight into contemporary and theoretical
debates and giving attention to a range of voices and experiences as a vital part of
American life, these comprehensive volumes offer clear, cohesive narratives of the
development of American literature.
The American literary tradition has always been flexible and mutable. Every
attempt to define American literature as a static body has been thwarted by
the nature of the subject, which is – like its nation’s ideals – pluralistic, diverse,
democratic,andinventive.Ourgoalinthisseriesistoprovidefreshperspectiveson
many dimensions of the American literary tradition while offering a solid overview
for readers encountering it for the first time.
D. Quentin Miller and Wendy Martin
Available in this series:
The Routledge Introduction to African American Literature
D. Quentin Miller
The Routledge Introduction to American Modernism
Linda Wagner-Martin
The Routledge Introduction to American Women Writers
Wendy Martin and Sharone Williams
THE ROUTLEDGE
INTRODUCTION TO
AFRICAN AMERICAN
LITERATURE
D. Quentin Miller
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Firstpublished2016
byRoutledge
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Names:Miller,D.Quentin(DanielQuentin),1967-
Title:TheRoutledgeintroductiontoAfricanAmericanliterature/
D.QuentinMiller.
Description:NewYork:Routledge,2016.|Series:Routledgeintroductions
toAmericanliterature|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2015030103|ISBN9780415839648
(hardback:alk.paper)|ISBN9780415839655(pbk.:alk.paper)|
ISBN9780203771013(ebook)
Subjects:LCSH:Americanliterature--AfricanAmericanauthors--History
andcriticism.
Classification:LCCPS153.N5M52016|DDC810.9/896073--dc23
LCrecordavailableathttp://lccn.loc.gov/2015030103
ISBN:978-0-415-83964-8(hbk)
ISBN:978-0-415-83965-5(pbk)
ISBN:978-0-203-77101-3(ebk)
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byTaylor&FrancisBooks
CONTENTS
Acknowledgement vi
1 Introduction and Overview: The Stories of African
American Literature 1
2 The Era of Slavery 21
3 Reconstruction through the 1910s 42
4 The Era of the Harlem Renaissance 61
5 Mid-Twentieth-Century Literature 82
6 The 1960s and the Black Arts Movement 103
7 1970–2000: The Flourishing of Black Women Writers and the
Return to Black History 128
8 Twenty-First-Century Writing: A Time of Reckoning 152
References 177
Index 184
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This small book about a big subject started as a collaborative project with Doug
Field, who realized early on that he had too much on his plate and backed out,
reluctantly and politely. I’d like to begin by thanking him for getting the ball
rolling.Iwouldalsoliketothankmyseriesco-editor,WendyMartin,forallofher
patience and goodwill throughout the process. At Routledge, a big shout-out to
Polly Dodson for developing the series with us and to Liz Levine for filling in
while Polly was on parental leave.
During the summer of 2012 I was fortunate enoughto spend three weeks at the
Pennsylvania State University for an NEH Summer Fellowship on contemporary
African American literature. Lovalerie King organized a stellar group of scholars,
led by Trudier Harris, Maryemma Graham, and Dana Nelson, who guided our
discussions for three memorable, valuable weeks. I’d like to thank all of them and
also all of my fellow institute scholars: space prevents me from listing everyone
here, but you know who you are and how much I value your insights and
friendship.
I would also like to thank Claudine Raynaud of the Université Paul-Valéry in
Montpellier, France for arranging a visiting professorship for me in the summer of
2013 where I was able to make substantial progress on this volume. Un million de
merci!
At Suffolk University I appreciate, as ever, the support of Dean Ken Greenberg,
in many tangible and intangible ways. One of the tangible ways was through
providing the funding for an extraordinary research assistant in 2013–2014, Mary
Boutet, whose attention to detail, organizational skills, and eye for editing are
tremendous. I owe a world of gratitude to Professor Emeritus Ed Clark for initi-
ating and maintaining the Clark Collection of African American literature at the
Sawyer library. This resource allowed Mary and me to conduct most of the
Acknowledgement vii
research we needed without leaving campus. Finally, Kelly Hoarty provided
her trademarkcheery clerical support whenever Iasked for it, both for this volume
and for theJamesBaldwinconference Claudineand Ihosted inFrance while I was
completing it.
I dedicate this book to my students at Suffolk University, past, present, and
future.
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1
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
The Stories of African American Literature
We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual
dark-skinnedselveswithoutfearorshame.Ifwhitepeoplearepleasedweareglad.If
theyarenot,itdoesn’tmatter.Weknowwearebeautiful.Anduglytoo….Ifcolored
peoplearepleasedweareglad.Iftheyarenot,theirdispleasuredoesn’tmattereither.
LangstonHughes, “TheNegro ArtistandtheRacialMountain,” 1926
The Negro writer who seeks to function within his race as a purposeful agent has a
serious responsibility. In order to do justice to his subject matter, in order to depict
Negro life in all of its manifold and intricate relationships, a deep, informed, and
complex consciousness is necessary; a consciousness which draws for its strength
upon the fluid lore of a great people, and moulds this lore with the concepts that
moveand directtheforcesof historytoday.
Richard Wright, “Blueprint forNegroWriting,” 1937
I would like to write novels that were unmistakably mine, but nevertheless fit first
into AfricanAmericantraditionsandsecondofall,thiswholethingcalledliterature.
ToniMorrison, interview, 1993
These days I find myself wanting to avoid being pigeon-holed, ghettoized, held in a
differentcategory[from]otherauthors.AndwhenpeopleaskmeifI’mablackwriter,or
justawriterwhohappenstobeblack,Itendtosaythatit’seitheradumbquestionora
questionwhichhappenstobedumb.I’manAfrican-Americanwriter,I’malazywriter,
I’mawriterwholikestowatchTheWire,I’mawriterwholikestoeatalotofsteak.
Colson Whitehead, interview, 2013
ThesepronouncementsaboutthenatureandfunctionofAfricanAmericanliterature
by some of the most prominent black writers over the past hundred years indicate
some crucial differences of opinion. There are some easily discernible patterns
based on history: in moments of crisis, such as the racially segregated Great
DepressionduringwhichRichardWrightwrotehis“blueprint,”thereisanintensity