african american literary criticism, 1773 to 2000 - gbv · african american literary criticism,...

African American Literary

Criticism, 1773 to 2000

edited by

HAZEL ARNETT ERVIN

Twayne Publishers

New York

Contents•

Preface xxiiiAcknowledgments xxvIntroduction 1

READINGS ARRANGED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDERAND PHILOSOPHICAL CONTEXTS

1773-1894: NURTURE VS. NATURE

Phillis Wheatley

ON IMAGINATION (1773) 23

To M^CENAS (1773) 25

Ignatius SanchoLETTER LVII (1778). IN LETTERS OF THELATE IGNATIUS SANCHO (1782) 27

Charlotte Forten GrimkeJOURNAL OF CHARLOTTE FORTEN (JULY 28, 1854) 29

Frances Ellen Watkins HarperFANCY ETCHINGS (APRIL 24, 1873) 30

Charles ~W. ChesnuttSECOND JOURNAL (MAY 29, 1880) 32

1895-1954: ART OR PROPAGANDA?

Victoria Earle MatthewsTHE VALUE OF RACE LITERATURE: AN ADDRESS (1895) 37

W. E. B. DuBoisCRITERIA OF NEGRO ART (1926) 39

VII

viii • CONTENTS

Langston Hughes

THE NEGRO ARTIST AND THE RACIAL MOUNTAIN (1926) 44

Alain Locke

ART OR PROPAGANDA? (1928) 49

Sterling A. Brown

FROM "OUR LITERARY AUDIENCE" (1930) 51

NEGRO CHARACTERS AS SEEN BY WHITE AUTHORS (1933) 55

Richard Wright

BLUEPRINT FOR NEGRO WRITING (1937) 82

James Baldwin

FROM "EVERYBODY'S PROTEST NOVEL" (1949) 91

Ann Petry

THE NOVEL AS SOCIAL CRITICISM (1950) 94

James Baldwin

FROM "MANY THOUSAND GONE" (1951) 99

1955-1975: CULTURAL AUTONOMY AND UNDERSTANDING

THE ART OF BLACK POETRY, DRAMA, FICTION, AND CRITICISM

Ralph Ellison

FROM "THE ART OF FICTION: AN INTERVIEW" (1955) 105

James Baldwin

THE CREATIVE PROCESS (1962) 111

Max Roach

JAZZ (1962) 113

Ossie Davis

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LORRAINE HANSBERRY (1965) 117

Larry Neal

THE BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT (1968) 122

Carolyn F. Gerald

THE BLACK WRITER AND HIS ROLE (1969) 129

Lloyd W. Brown

THE EXPATRIATE CONSCIOUSNESS IN

BLACK AMERICAN LITERATURE (1972) 135

Stephen E. Henderson

FROM "THE FORMS OF THINGS UNKNOWN." IN

UNDERSTANDING THE NEW BLACK POETRY: BLACK SPEECH

AND BLACK MUSIC AS POETIC REFERENCES (1973) 141

CONTENTS • ix

1976-2000: AESTHETIC VALUES, RECONSTRUCTIONS OF

BLACKNESS AND BOUNDARIES, AND POSTMODERNISM

Alice WalkerSAVING THE LIFE THAT IS YOUR OWN:

THE IMPORTANCE OF MODELS IN THE ARTIST'S LIFE (1976) 155

Barbara SmithTOWARD A BLACK FEMINIST CRITICISM (1977) 162

Ralph EllisonTHE LITTLE MAN AT CHEHAW STATION:

THE AMERICAN ARTIST AND HIS AUDIENCE (1977) 172

Sherley A. WilliamsTHE BLUES ROOTS OF CONTEMPORARY

AFRO-AMERICAN POETRY (1979) 179

Houston A. Baker Jr.FROM "TOWARD A CRITICAL PROSPECT FOR THE FUTURE."

IN THE JOURNEY BACK: ISSUES IN BLACK

LITERATURE AND CRITICISM (1980) 192

Toni MorrisonFROM "ROOTEDNESS: THE ANCESTOR AS FOUNDATION" (1984) 198

Toni Cade BambaraSALVATION IS THE ISSUE (1984) 203

James A. SneadREPETITION AS A FIGURE OF BLACK CULTURE (1984) 206

William L. AndrewsTHE FIRST CENTURY OF AFRO-AMERICAN AUTOBIOGRAPHY:

THEORY AND EXPLICATION (1984) 223

Joseph HenryA MELUS INTERVIEW: ISHMAEL REED (1984) 235

Shauneille Perry RyderWILL THE REAL BLACK THEATER PLEASE STAND UP? (1984) 242

Joanne V GabbinTHE POETRY OF STERLING A. BROWN:

A STUDY IN FORM AND MEANING (1985) 247

Henry Louis Gates Jr.SIGNIFYIN(G): DEFINITIONS [AND THEORY] (1988) 259

Homi K. BhabhaCULTURAL DIVERSITY AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES (1988) 268

x • CONTENTS

Joy HarjoA N INTERVIEW WITH JUNE JORDAN (1988) 273

Jerry W Ward Jr.FROM "ALVIN AUBERT: THE LEVEE, THE BLUES,

THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI" (1989) 278

Eleanor W TraylorA BLUES VIEW OF LIFE (LITERATURE AND

THE BLUES VISION) (1989) 285

Richard J. PowellTHE BLUES AESTHETIC: BLACK CULTURE

AND MODERNISM (1989) 289

John Edgar WidemanPREFACE. I N BREAKING ICE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF

CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN AMERICAN FICTION (1990) 303

Terry McMillanFROM "INTRODUCTION." IN BREAKING ICE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF

CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN-AMERICAN FICTION (1990) 309

Gale JacksonTHE WAY W E D O : A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION

OF THE AFRICAN ROOTS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN

PERFORMANCE (1991) 312

Charles I. NeroTOWARD A BLACK GAY AESTHETIC: SIGNIFYING IN

CONTEMPORARY BLACK GAY LITERATURE (1991) 321

Karla F. C. HollowayA FIGURATIVE THEORY: A CRITICAL CONSIDERATION

OF VOICE, GENDER AND CULTURE (1992) 328

Tommy L. LottA NO-THEORY THEORY OF CONTEMPORARY

BLACK CINEMA (1992) 339

bell hooksINTRODUCTION: REVOLUTIONARY ATTITUDES.

IN BLACK LOOKS: RACE AND REPRESENTATION (1992) 349

Jerry W Ward Jr.FOREWORD. IN BLACK SOUTHERN VOICES:

AN ANTHOLOGY (1992) 353

Thulani DavisFROM "WALTER MOSLEY (AN INTERVIEW)" (1993) 359

CONTENTS • xi

Sandra G. ShannonBLUES, HISTORY AND DRAMATURGY: A N INTERVIEW

WITH AUGUST WILSON (1994) 364

Dolan HubbardVOICES AND VISIONS. IN THE SERMON AND THE

AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERARY IMAGINATION (1994) 382

Ropo SekoniFEATURES OF YORUBA TRICKSTER TALE AESTHETICS (1994) 385

Geneva SmithermanFROM "WORD FROM THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY."

IN BLACK TALK: WORDS AND PHRASES FROM THE

HOOD TO THE AMEN CORNER (1994) 400

Madhu DubeyINTRODUCTION: BLACK FEMINIST CRITICISM. IN BLACK WOMEN

NOVELISTS AND THE NATIONALIST AESTHETIC (1994) 412

Farah Jasmine GriffinINTRODUCTION. IN "WHO SET YOU FLOWIN'?"

THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN MIGRATION NARRATIVE (1995) 423

Tuzyline Ji ta AllanINTRODUCTION: DECODING WOMANIST GRAMMAR

OF DIFFERENCE. IN WOMANIST AND FEMINIST AESTHETICS,

A COMPARATIVE REVIEW (1995) 433

Mtume ya SalaamTHE AESTHETICS OF RAP (1995) 445

E. Ethelbert MillerA N INTERVIEW WITH CORNELIUS EADY (1995) 453

Trudier HarrisMISS-TRAINED OR UNTRAINED? JACKLEG CRITICS AND

AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE (OR, SOME OF

M Y ADVENTURES IN ACADEMIA) (1995) 461

Joan FryA N INTERVIEW WITH OCTAVIA BUTLER (1997) 471

Duane Frank"SOUL FOOD" DIRECTOR ISN'T HOLDING HIS BREATH.

IN MILWAUKEE SENTINELJOURNAL (1997) 479

Claudia TateINTRODUCTION: RACE AND PSYCHOANALYSIS. IN PSYCHOANALYSIS

AND BLACK NOVELS, DESIRE AND PROTOCOLS OF RACE (1998) 481

xii • CONTENTS

Alexs PateMAKING HOME IN THE N E W MILLENNIUM: REFLECTIONS (1999) 487

READINGS ARRANGED UNDER CRITICAL APPROACHES

BLACK POETICS

Ropo SekoniFEATURES OF YORUBA TRICKSTER TALE AESTHETICS (1994) 385

Gale JacksonTHE WAY W E D O : A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE

AFRICAN ROOTS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN PERFORMANCE (1991) 312


Dolan HubbardVOICES AND VISIONS. IN THE SERMON AND THE

AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERARY IMAGINATION (1994) 382

Eleanor W TraylorA BLUES VIEW OF LIFE (LITERATURE AND

THE BLUES VISION) (1989) 285





Sherley A. WilliamsTHE BLUES ROOTS OF CONTEMPORARY







CONTENTS • xiii



Max RoachJAZZ (1962) 113


IN THE JOURNEY BACK: ISSUES IN BLACK LITERATURE

AND CRITICISM (1980) 192

CULTURE-BASED STUDIES

Langston HughesTHE NEGRO ARTIST AND THE RACIAL MOUNTAIN (1926) 44

Richard WrightBLUEPRINT FOR NEGRO WRITING (1937) 82

Ralph EllisonTHE LITTLE MAN AT CHEHAW STATION:


James Baldwin



Larry NealTHE BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT (1968) 122

Stephen E. HendersonFROM "THE FORMS OF THINGS UNKNOWN."

IN UNDERSTANDING THE NEW BLACK POETRY: BLACK

SPEECH AND BLACK MUSIC AS POETIC REFERENCES (1973) 141





Richard J. PowellTHE BLUES AESTHETIC: BLACK CULTURE

AND MODERNISM (1989) 289

xiv • CONTENTS








Homi K. BhabhaCULTURAL DIVERSITY AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES (1988) 268

Max RoachJAZZ(1962) 113



IN MILWAUKEE SENTINELJOURNAL (1997) 479

Lloyd W BrownTHE EXPATRIATE CONSCIOUSNESS IN


INTERTEXTUAL HISTORIOGRAPHY

Karla F. C. HollowayA FIGURATIVE THEORY: A CRITICAL CONSIDERATION OF

VOICE, GENDER AND CULTURE (1992) 328



IN BLACK TALK: WORDS AND PHRASES FROM

THE HOOD TO THE AMEN CORNER (1994) 400




CONTENTS • xv


NOVELISTS AND THE NATIONALIST AESTHETIC (1994) 412

GENDER-BASED STUDIES

Barbara SmithTOWARD A BLACK FEMINIST CRITICISM (1977) 162

Tuzyline Ji ta AllanINTRODUCTION: DECODING WOMANIST GRAMMAR OF

DIFFERENCE. IN WOMANIST AND FEMINIST AESTHETICS,

A COMPARATIVE REVIEW (1995) 433

Toni Cade BambaraSALVATION IS THE ISSUE (1984) 203

Karla F. C. HollowayA FIGURATIVE THEORY: A CRITICAL CONSIDERATION

OF VOICE, GENDER AND CULTURE (1992) 328


NOVELISTS AND THE NATIONALIST A ESTHETIC (1994) 412

Charles I. NeroTOWARD A BLACK GAY AESTHETIC: SIGNIFYING IN


LINGUISTICS

Stephen E. HendersonFROM "THE FORMS OF THINGS UNKNOWN." IN




I N THE JOURNEY BACK: ISSUES IN BLACK




xvi • CONTENTS


IN BLACK TALK: WORDS AND PHRASES FROM THE

HOOD TO THE AMEN CORNER (1994) 400



SEMIOTICS AND STRUCTURALISM





IN THE JOURNEY BACK: ISSUES IN BLACK LITERATURE

AND CRITICISM (1980) 192




Ralph EllisonFROM "THE ART OF FICTION: AN INTERVIEW" (1955) 105



MYTHOLOGY/ARCHETYPAL

Gale JacksonTHE WAY W E D O : A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE

AFRICAN ROOTS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN PERFORMANCE (1991) 312



Ralph EllisonFROM "THE ART OF FICTION: A N INTERVIEW" (1955) 105

CONTENTS • xvii

PSYCHOANALYTIC

Claudia Tate- INTRODUCTION: RACE AND PSYCHOANALYSIS. IN

PSYCHOANALYSIS AND BLACK NOVELS, DESIRE AND

PROTOCOLS OF RACE (1998) 481

RHETORIC AND READER-RESPONSE

Ignatius SanchoLETTER LVII (1778). IN LETTERS OF THE

LATE IGNATIUS SANCHO (1782) 27

Charlotte Forten GrimkeJOURNAL OF CHARLOTTE FORTEN (JULY 28, 1854) 29

Frances Ellen Watkins HarperFANCY ETCHINGS (APRIL 24, 1873) 30

Charles W ChesnuttSECOND JOURNAL (MAY 29, 1880) 32

Victoria Earle MatthewsTHE VALUE OF RACE LITERATURE: AN ADDRESS (1895) 37

W E. B. DuBoisCRITERIA OF NEGRO ART (1926) 39

Alain LockeART OR PROPAGANDA? (1928) 49

Langston HughesTHE NEGRO ARTIST AND THE RACIAL MOUNTAIN (1926) 44

Richard WrightBLUEPRINT FOR NEGRO WRITING (1937) 82

Sterling A. BrownNEGRO CHARACTERS AS SEEN BY WHITE AUTHORS (1933) 55

FROM "OUR LITERARY AUDIENCE" (1930) 51

Ralph Ellison 'THE LITTLE MAN AT CHEHAW STATION:


Ossie DavisTHE SIGNIFICANCE OF LORRAINE HANSBERRY (1965) 117

Ann PetryTHE NOVEL AS SOCIAL CRITICISM (1950) 94

xviii • CONTENTS

James Baldwin




Alice WalkerSAVING THE LIFE THAT IS YOUR OWN:

THE IMPORTANCE OF MODELS IN THE ARTIST'S LIFE (1976) 155


UNDERSTANDING THE NEW BLACK POETRY: BLACK

SPEECH AND BLACK MUSIC AS POETIC REFERENCES (1973) 141

Jerry W Ward Jr.FOREWORD. I N BLACK SOUTHERN VOICES:


Carolyn F. GeraldTHE BLACK WRITER AND HIS ROLE (1969) 129








Madhu DubeyINTRODUCTION: BLACK FEMINIST CRITICISM. I N BLACK WOMEN

NOVELISTS AND THE NATIONALIST A ESTHETIC (1994) 419

E. Ethelbert MillerAN INTERVIEW WITH CORNEOUS EADY (1995) 453

Trudier HarrisMISS-TRAINED OR UNTRAINED? JACKLEG CRITICS AND

AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE (OR, SOME OF M Y

ADVENTURES IN ACADEMIA) (1995) 461

Shauneille Perry RyderWILL THE REAL BLACK THEATER PLEASE STAND U P ? (1984) 242

CONTENTS • xix

Alexs PateMAKING HOME IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM: REFLECTIONS (1999) 487

POSTCOLONIALISM


Homi K. Bhabha

CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES (1988) 268

GENRES

SLAVE NARRATIVE/AUTOBIOGRAPHY



NOVEL

James Baldwin




Ann PetryTHE NOVEL AS SOCIAL CRITICISM (1950) 94

Ralph EllisonFROM "THE ART OF FICTION: AN INTERVIEW" (1955) 105









xx • CONTENTS

John Edgar WidemanPREFACE. I N BREAKING ICE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY

AFRICAN-AMERICAN FICTION (1990) 303

Terry McMillan

FROM "INTRODUCTION." IN BREAKING ICE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF

CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN-AMERICAN FICTION (1990) 3 09

SHORT STORY

Carolyn F. Gerald


Toni Cade Bambara

SALVATION IS THE ISSUE (1984) 203

John Edgar Wideman

PREFACE. IN BREAKING ICE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF


Terry McMillan

FROM "INTRODUCTION." IN BREAKING ICE: AN ANTHOLOGY OP


Alexs Pate

MAKING HOME IN THE N E W MILLENNIUM: REFLECTIONS (1999) 487

POETRY

Phillis Wheatley

ON IMAGINATION (1773) 23

Carolyn F. Gerald


Larry Neal

THE BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT (1968) 122

Stephen E. Henderson

FROM "THE FORMS OF THINGS UNKNOWN."

IN UNDERSTANDING THE NEW BLACK POETRY: BLACK SPEECH


Sherley A. Williams

THE BLUES ROOTS OF CONTEMPORARY


Joanne V Gabbin

THE POETRY OF STERLING A. BROWN: A STUDY IN

FORM AND MEANING (1985) 247

CONTENTS • xxi





DRAMA

Ossie DavisTHE SIGNIFICANCE OF LORRAINE HANSBERRY (1965) 117

Larry NealTHE BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT (1968) 122

Shauneille Perry RyderWILL THE REAL BLACK THEATER PLEASE STAND U P ? (1984) 242

Sandra G. ShannonBLUES, HISTORY AND DRAMATURGY:

A N INTERVIEW WITH AUGUST WILSON (1994) 364

CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE


John Edgar WidemanPREFACE. IN BREAKING ICE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF


Terry McMillanFROM "INTRODUCTION." IN BREAKING ICE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF



Charles I.NeroTOWARD A BLACK GAY AESTHETIC: SIGNIFYING IN


Alexs PateMAKING HOME IN THE N E W MILLENNIUM:

REFLECTIONS (1999) 487

xxii • CONTENTS

FILM







IN MILWAUKEE SENTINEL JOURNAL (1997) 479

DETECTIVE NOVEL

Thulani DavisFROM "WALTER MOSLEY (AN INTERVIEW)" (1993) 359

SCIENCE FICTION

Joan FryAN INTERVIEW WITH OCTAVIA BUTLER (1997) 471

JAZZ, RAP, AND HIP-HOP

Max RoachJAZZ (1962) 113



IN BLACK TALK: WORDS AND PHRASES FROM THE HOOD

TO THE AMEN CORNER (1994) 400

African American Literary Criticism in Context 493Index 531

african american literary criticism, 1773 to 2000 - gbv · african american literary criticism,...

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