African American writers and classical tradition / William W. Cook & James Tatum.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cook, William W. (William Wilburt)

Contributor:

Tatum, James.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American literature--African American authors--History and criticism.

American literature.

American literature--Classical influences.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (466 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chicago ; London : University of Chicago Press, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Constraints on freedom, education, and individual dignity have always been fundamental in determining who is able to write, when, and where. Considering the singular experience of the African American writer, 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 and on into 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 highly acclaimed poets, novelists, and scholars. Assembling this brilliant and diverse group of African American writers at a moment when our understanding 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.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Introduction

1. The Leisure Moments of Phillis Wheatley

2. Frederick Douglass and The Columbian Orator

3. The Making of the Talented Tenth

4. Genteel Classicism

5. Invisible Odyssey

6. The Pindar of Harlem

7. It Is Impossible Not to Write Satire

8. Rita Dove and the Greeks

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612538674

9781282538672

1282538675

9780226789989

0226789985

OCLC:

609863517