African-American literature

**African American literature** be de body of literature dem produce insyd de United States by writers of African descent. Na Phillis Wheatley be an enslaved African woman wey cam be de first African American to publish a book of poetry, wich na dem publish insyd 1773. Ein collection, na dem title *Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral.* Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745–1797) na he be an African man wey wrep *The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano*, an autobiography dem publish insyd 1789 wey cam be one of de first influential works about de transatlantic slave trade den de experiences of enslaved Africans. Na dem publish ein work sixteen years after Phillis Wheatley ein work (c. 1753–1784).

Na oda prominent writers of de 18th century wey help shape de tone den direction of African American literature be David Walker (1796–1830), an abolitionist den writer dem best know for ein *Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World (*1829); Frederick Douglass, wey na he be a former enslaved person wey cam be a prominent abolitionist, orator, den writer famous for ein autobiographies, wey dey include *Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave* (1845); den Harriet Jacobs, an enslaved woman wey wrep *Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl* (1861).

Like chaw writers, African American writers draw on dema everyday live experiences for inspiration on material make dem write about, therefore na African American literature be dominated by autobiographical spiritual narratives thru out much of de 19th century. Na de genre dem know as slave narratives insyd de 19th century be accounts by people wey na dem generally escape from slavery, about dema journeys to freedom den ways na dem claim dema lives.

Na de Harlem Renaissance of de 1920s be a great period of flowering insyd literature den de arts, wey be influenced both by writers wey cam North insyd de Great Migration den those wey na dem be immigrants from Jamaica den oda Caribbean islands. Na African American writers be recognized by de highest awards, wey dey include de Nobel Prize dem give to Toni Morrison insyd 1993. Among de themes den issues dem explore insyd dis literature be de role of African Americans within de larger American society, African American culture, racism, slavery, den social equality. Na African-American writing tend to incorporate oral forms, such as spirituals, sermons, gospel music, blues, anaa rap.

As African Americans dema place insyd American society change over de centuries, so e get de focus of African American literature. Before de American Civil War, de literature primarily consist of memoirs by people wey na dem escape from enslavement—na de genre of slave narratives include accounts of life insyd enslavement den de path of justice den redemption to freedom. Na der be an early distinction between de literature of freed slaves den de literature of free blacks born insyd de North. Free blacks express dema oppression insyd a different narrative form. Na free blacks insyd de North often speak out against enslavement den racial injustices by using de spiritual narrative. Na de spiritual address chaw of de same themes of enslaved people narratives buh na e be largely ignored in current scholarly conversation.

At de turn of de 20th century, na non-fiction works by authors such as W. E. B. Du Bois den Booker T. Washington debate how to confront racism insyd de United States. During de Civil Rights Movement, na authors such as Richard Wright den Gwendolyn Brooks wrep about issues of racial segregation den black nationalism. Today, African American literature cam be accepted as an integral part of American literature, plus books such as *Roots: The Saga of an American Family* by Alex Haley, *The Color Purple* (1982) by Alice Walker, wich win de Pulitzer Prize; den *Beloved* by Toni Morrison wey achieve both best-selling den award-winning status.

Insyd broad terms, African American literature fi be defined as writings by people of African descent wey dey live insyd de United States. E be highly varied. Na African American literature generally be focused on de role of African Americans within de larger American society den wat e dey mean to be an American. As na Princeton University professor Albert J. Raboteau say, all African American literary study "speaks to de deeper meaning of de African-American presence insyd dis nation. Na dis presence always be a test case of de nation ein claims to freedom, democracy, equality, de inclusiveness of all." African American literature dey explore de issues of freedom den equality dem long deny to Blacks insyd de United States, along plus further themes such as African American culture, racism, religion, enslavement, a sense of home, segregation, migration, feminism, den more. African American literature dey present experience from an African American point of view. Insyd de early Republic, na African American literature represent a way for free blacks to negotiate dema identity insyd an individualized republic. Na dem often try to exercise dema political den social autonomy insyd de face of resistance from de white public. Thus, na an early theme of African American literature be, like oda American writings, wat na e mean to be a citizen insyd post-Revolutionary America.

## References


## Notes

* Andrews, W., F. Foster and T. Harris (eds).*The Oxford Companion to African American Literature*. Oxford, 1997.
* Brodhead, R. "An Anatomy of Multiculturalism". *Yale Alumni Magazine*, April 1994. Excerpted here.
* John Callahan, *In the African-American Grain: Call and Response in Twentieth-Century Black Fiction*, University of Illinois Press, reprinted 2001. * Cashmore, E. "Review of the Norton Anthology of African American Literature" *New Statesman*, April 25, 1997.
* Dalrymple, T. "An Imaginary 'Scandal'", *The New Criterion*, May 2005.
* Davis, M., M. Graham, and S. Pineault-Burke (eds). *Teaching African American Literature: Theory and Practice*. Routledge, 1998.
* Gates, H. *The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters With the Founding Fathers*, Basic Civitas Books, 2003
* Gilyard, K., and A. Wardi. *African American Literature*. Penguin, 2004.
* Greenberg, P. "I hate that (The rise of identity journalism)". *Jewish World Review*, June 15, 2005.
* Groden, M., and M. Krieswirth (eds). "African-American Theory and Criticism Archived 2005-05-15 at the Wayback Machine" from the *Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism*.
* Grossman, J. "Historical Research and Narrative of Chicago and the Great Migration".
* Hamilton, K. "Writers' Retreat: Despite the proliferation of Black authors and titles in today's marketplace, many look to literary journals to carry on the torch for the written word".  *Black Issues in Higher Education*, November 6, 2003.
* Jay, G. *American Literature and the Culture Wars*. Cornell University Press, 1997. Excerpted here.
* Lowney, J. "Haiti and Black Transnationalism: Remapping the Migrant Geography of Home to Harlem", *African American Review*, Fall, 2000.
* McKay, N., and H. Gates (eds). *The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, Second Edition*. W. W. Norton & Company, 2004.
* Mitchem, S. "No Longer Nailed to the Floor". *Cross Currents*, Spring 2003.
* Roach, R. "Powerful pages: Unprecedented Public Impact of W.W. Norton and Co's Norton Anthology of African American Literature". *Black Issues in Higher Education*, September 18, 1997.
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* Warren, K. W. *What Was African American Literature?* Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2011.

## Read further

* Dorson, Richard M., editor
** "Negro Folktales in Michigan", Harvard University Press, 1956.
** "Negro Tales from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Calvin, Michigan", 1958.  
** "American Negro Folktales", 1967.
* 
* 
* African American Literature in Transition, Cambridge University Press - a 17 volume series
* Piacentino, Ed. "Seeds of Rebellion in Plantation Fiction: Victor Séjour's 'The Mulatto'". *Southern Spaces*. August 28, 2007.
* 
* 

## External links

* African American Literature Book Club
* BlackLiterature.com Archived 2011-02-07
* "American Slave Narratives: An Online Anthology"
* "A Brief Chronology of African American Literature"
* "African American Women Writers of the 19th Century"
* "Famous Writers Section", Mr. Africa Poetry Lounge
* North American Slave Narratives
* Black Writers Conference
* BlackAuthorsConnect.com
* African American Literatures and Cultures Institute of The University of Texas at San Antonio
* African American Pamphlets. From the Rare Book and Special Collections Division at the Library of Congress
* Guide to the Alfred Willis Collection of African-American Popular Fiction 1958-2016 at the University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center