The Oxford Companion to African American Literature

by Andrews, William L.; Foster, Francis Smith; Harris, Trudier

• ISBN13: 9780195065107
• ISBN10: 0195065107
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-03-27
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The Souls of Black Folks, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Invisible Man,Notes of a Native Son, "Letter from Birmingham Jail," I Know Why the Caged BirdSings, The Piano Lesson, Beloved--the work of African American writers has beena vital part of our nation's literary heritage for over two hundred and fiftyyears. Now, The Oxford Companion to African American Literature provides thefirst comprehensive one-volume reference work devoted to this rich tradition,surveying the length and breadth of black literary history, focusing inparticular on the lives and careers of more than 400 writers.Here indeed is the pantheon of African American writers--Phillis Wheatley andSojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass and W. E. B. Du Bois, Gwendolyn Brooks andZora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen, James Baldwin and RalphEllison, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, John Edgar Wideman and August Wilson,Jamaica Kincaid and Gloria Naylor, Stanley Crouch and Cornel West, and hundredsmore. Moreover, the Companion includes entries on 150 major works of AfricanAmerican literature (including synopses of novels), from Harriet Jacobs'sIncidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Richard Wright's Native Son, to LorraineHansberry's A Raisin in the Sun; on literary characters, ranging from BiggerThomas, to Coffin Ed Johnson, Kunta Kinte, Sula Peace; on character types, suchas Aunt Jemima, Brer Rabbit, John Henry, Stackolee, and the trickster; and onsuch icons of black culture as Muhammad Ali, John Coltrane, Marcus Garvey,Jackie Robinson, John Brown, and Harriet Tubman. Here, too, are general articleson the traditional literary genres, such as poetry, fiction, and drama; ongenres of special import in African American letters, such as autobiography,slave narratives, Sunday School literature, and oratory; and on a wide spectrumof related topics, including journalism, the black periodical press, majorlibraries and research centers, religion, literary societies, women's clubs, andvarious publishing enterprises. There are also entries on customs (such asconjuring, signifying), cultural expression (such as dance, blues, and dress),and on unique aspects of black experience (such as the Middle Passage, passing,and blue vein societies). Finally, the five-part, 15-page essay, LiteraryHistory, captures the full sweep of African American writing in the US, from thecolonial and early national eras right up to the present day. The Companion alsofeatures a comprehensive subject index; extensive cross-referencing; andbibliographies after almost every article.With contributions by more than 300 scholars--including such noted authoritiesas Gerald Early, Nell Irvin Painter, Arnold Rampersad, Claudia Tate, and CraigWerner--who offer criticism that is historically informed, thoughtfullyresearched, and fair-minded, this superb volume presents a goldmine ofinformation to the student and the scholar, to the seeker of particularinformation and the browser intent on opening up her or his intellectualhorizons.

Author Biography

William L. Andrews is E. Maynard Adams Professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Frances Smith Foster is Charles Howard Candler Professor of English and Women's Studies at Emory University. Trudier Harris is J. Carlyle Sitterson Professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii	(2)
Introduction	ix	(8)
Contributors	xvii	(12)
Abbreviations	xxix
The Oxford Companion to African American Literature	801
Editors	801	(2)
Index	803