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Introduction


Frederick Douglass

Ralph Ellison

Maya Angelou
The history of African-American literature is as old and varied as the United States itself, but there are several recurrent themes: combating racism, searching for a black identity, and maintaining a unique quality of life. One of the first published African Americans was Phillis Wheatley, whose collection of poetry precedes the U.S. Revolutionary War by three years (1773). Eighteenth-century “Slave Narratives,” journals of personal experiences by slaves, were (and still are) a source of insight and inspiration to readers. African-American literature of the 1800s was dominated by autobiographical works, culminating in Booker T. Washington’s Up From Slavery at the turn of the century. The early twentieth century produced many influential African-American writers, among them Langston Hughes and Ralph Ellison. Contemporary authors such as Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, and Maya Angelou continue to expand the canon of African-American literature.

Essential Facts

  1. Frederick Douglass’ autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave (1845) advocated education as a way out of the physical and mental bondage of slavery. Douglass argued, “A little learning, indeed, may be a dangerous thing, but the want of learning is a calamity to any people.”
  2. The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s was a movement toward re-creating a unique African-American identity and celebrating black voices in the arts. Poets like Langston Hughes and novelists such as Richard Wright wanted to create a “New Black” identity that would change racial stereotypes by proving the depth of the African-American intellect.
  3. In the 1970s, publication of Alex Haley’s novel Roots: The Story of an American Family helped many Americans to deal honestly with the history of slavery and inspired a keen interest in genealogy.
  4. The Color Purple by Alice Walker and Beloved by Toni Morrison continued some of the genealogical recovery work from a woman’s point of view.
  5. Oprah Winfrey, one of the most powerful women in the world, is responsible for bringing African-American literature to a vast audience through her wildly successful Book Club. Just some of the authors she’s included: Edwidge Danicat, Alan Paton, and Lalita Tademy.
 

Recommended Resources

  1. African-American Literature
  2. Harlem Renaissance Study Guide (eNotes)
  3. Invisible Man Study Guide (eNotes) - Ralph Ellison
  4. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Study Guide (eNotes) - Frederick Douglass
  5. The Color Purple Study Guide (eNotes) - Alice Walker

All Resources

Display as: Categories, List
  1. A History of Afro-American Literature - Book Review
  2. African-American Drama
  3. African-American Folklore and Literature
  4. African-American Identity in Literature (Identities and Issues in Literature)
  5. African-American Literature
  6. African-American Long Fiction
  7. African-American Poetry
  8. African-American Short Fiction
  9. Alice Childress
  10. Alice Walker
  11. Alice Walker (Contemporary Literary Criticism)
  12. Alice Walker (Dictionary of World Biography: The 20th Century)
  13. Alice Walker (Poetry Criticism)
  14. Anne Moody
  15. Frederick Douglass
  16. Frederick Douglass (Cyclopedia of World Authors)
  17. Frederick Douglass (Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century)
  18. Gwendolyn Brooks
  19. Gwendolyn Brooks (Cyclopedia of World Authors)
  20. Gwendolyn Brooks (Magill’s Choice: American Ethnic Writers)
  21. Harlem Renaissance Study Guide (eNotes)
  22. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (Cyclopedia of World Authors)
  23. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Study Guide (eNotes) - Maya Angelou
  24. Invisible Man Study Guide (eNotes) - Ralph Ellison
  25. James Baldwin
  26. James Baldwin (Critical Survey of Long Fiction)
  27. Langston Hughes
  28. Maya Angelou
  29. Maya Angelou (Poetry Criticism)
  30. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Study Guide (eNotes) - Frederick Douglass
  31. Octavia Butler
  32. Phillis Wheatley (Critical Survey of Poetry)
  33. Racism in Literature (Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism)
  34. Ralph Ellison
  35. Ralph Ellison (Short Story Criticism)
  36. Richard Wright
  37. Slave Narratives
  38. Song of Solomon Study Guide (eNotes) - Toni Morrison
  39. The Autobiography of Malcolm X Study Guide (eNotes) - Malcom X
  40. The Civil Rights Movement Represented in Literature (Identities and Issues in Literature)
  41. The Color Purple Study Guide (eNotes) - Alice Walker
  42. Their Eyes Were Watching God Study Guide (eNotes) - Zora Neale Hurston
  43. To His Excellency General Washington Study Guide (eNotes) - Phillis Wheatley
  44. Toni Morrison
  45. Up from Slavery (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series) - Booker T. Washington
  46. W. E. B. Du Bois
  47. Zora Neal Hurston
  48. Zora Neal Hurston (Contemporary Literary Criticism: Vol. 7)
  49. Zora Neale Hurston (Cyclopedia of World Authors)