African American Writers and Classical Tradition

Bibliographic Data

ID19965604
AuthorsWilliam W Cook, James Tatum
Year2010
Publication date2010-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
VenueAfrican American Writers and Classical Tradition (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.7208/chicago/9780226789989.001.0001
OpenAlexW1543400925
Open LibraryOL38023347M
ISBN9780226789989
LanguageEN
Citations received10

Constraints on freedom, education, and individual dignity have always been fundamental in determining who is able to write, when, and where. Taking the singular instance of the African American writer to heart, William W. Cook and James Tatum here argue that African American literature did not develop apart from canonical Western literary traditions but instead grew out of those literatures, even as it adapted and transformed the cultural traditions and religions of Africa and the African diaspora along the way. Tracing the interaction between African American writers and the literatures of ancient Greece and Rome, from the time of slavery and its aftermath to the civil rights era through the present, the authors offer a sustained and lively discussion of the life and work of Phillis Wheatley, Frederick Douglass, Ralph Ellison, and Rita Dove, among other acclaimed poets, novelists, and scholars. Assembling this brilliant and diverse group of African American writers at a moment when our reception of classical literature is ripe for change, the authors paint an unforgettable portrait of our own reception of 'classic' writing, especially as it was inflected by American racial politics

Art · Literature · American and British Literature Analysis · Caribbean history, culture, and politics · History · Race, History, and American Society · African American authors · african american authors, history and criticism · Afroamerikanische Autoren · American literature · Amerikaans · Antike · Bellettrie · Classical influences · Études diverses · Foreign influences · Griechische Literatur · History and criticism · Influence exercée · Klassieke oudheid · Lateinische Literatur · Literatur · Littérature afro-américaine · Littérature grecque antique · Littérature latine · Quellen und Vorbilder · Rezeption · Schwarze · Zwarten