African American Studies: Literature

Literature in English produced in what is now the United States of America. MORE

Reconstruction in print or on film, of the lives of real men and women. Together with autobiography—an individual's interpretation of his own life—it shares a venerable tradition, meeting the demands of different audiences through the ages. MORE

Term used to describe a flowering of African-American literature and art in the 1920s, mainly in the Harlem district of New York City. MORE

Figure of speech using an analogy or close comparison between two things that are not normally treated as if they had anything in common. MORE

Award given for outstanding achievement in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, peace, or literature. MORE

Imaginative literary form, particularly suitable for describing emotions and thoughts. MORE

In the arts, the use of symbols to concentrate or intensify meaning, making the work more subjective than objective. In the visual arts, symbols have been used in works throughout the ages to transmit a message or idea, for example, the religious symbolism of ancient Egyptian art, Gothic art, and Renaissance art. MORE

From Encyclopedia of African American Society
A book, as well as a television miniseries based on it, that changed African Americans' views of their enslavement from one of shame to one of inspiration and pride. MORE

From Encyclopedia of Black Studies
The Autobiography of Malcolm X tells the life of Malcolm Little in a dramatic fashion that resonates with many members of the African American community. His life was lived with intensity and purpose, and in this book he describes the path that he took in a way that makes his story accessible to all.MORE

From Encyclopedia of Black Studies
Ralph Ellison’s 1952 novel Invisible Man deals with the inability of the people around the protagonist to see him as a black man, thus failing to respect himself and his humanity. MORE

U.S. Black novelist, poet, and dramatist. Her works include the autobiographical novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970) and its sequels, the collection of poetry I Shall Not be Moved (1990), and Phenomenal Woman (1995). MORE

Writer, born in Harlem, New York, USA. The son of a preacher, as a teenager he preached in a Harlem pentecostal church. MORE

US novelist. His Invisible Man (1952) portrays with humour and energy the plight of a black man whom post-war US society cannot acknowledge. MORE

Although Equiano wasn’t the first African-born former slave to tell his life experiences of enslavement and emancipation, he was the first to write his life story himself, without help or direction from white ghostwriters, amanuenses, or editors. MORE

American writer best known for Roots (1976), a fictionalized chronicle tracing his family history back to its African origins. MORE

Lorraine Hansberry’s writing was profoundly influenced by her family elders. Her uncle Leo Hansberry was a scholar of African history at Howard University, so Lorraine learned from an early age to link the experiences and challenges of African Americans with those of Africans struggling for liberation in their native land. MORE

American writer. Through his poetry, prose, and drama he made important contributions to the Harlem Renaissance. His best-known works include Weary Blues (1926) and The Ways of White Folks (1934). MORE

Born and raised in the West Indies British colony of Antigua, young Elaine—a prolific reader—was taught that all the greatest literature had been written in Britain prior to 1900. Although she had won scholarships to colonial schools in Antigua, at age 16 Elaine fled to New York City to be an au pair, earning her room and board by doing domestic work for a white family. MORE

American writer who won the 1993 Nobel Prize for literature. Her novels, such as Sula (1973) and Beloved (1987), examine the experiences of African Americans. MORE

American writer whose works include the novels Meridian (1976) and The Color Purple (1982), for which she won a Pulitzer Prize. MORE

One of the earliest known African-American writers and the first to publish a book of poetry, former slave Phillis Wheatley has nevertheless been both revered and ignored by the African-American community. MORE

American author whose writing explores the oppression suffered by African Americans. His works include the novel Native Son (1940) and the autobiography Black Boy (1945). MORE