A history of African American poetry / Lauri Ramey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ramey, Lauri, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

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

American poetry.

African Americans--Intellectual life.

African Americans.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 269 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2019.

Summary:

African American poetry is as old as America itself, yet this touchstone of American identity is often overlooked. In this critical history of African American poetry, from its origins in the transatlantic slave trade, to present day hip-hop, Lauri Ramey traces African American poetry from slave songs to today's award-winning poets. Covering a wide range of styles and forms, canonical figures like Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784) and Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906) are brought side by side with lesser known poets who explored diverse paths of bold originality. Calling for a revised and expanded canon, Ramey shows how some poems were suppressed while others were lauded, while also examining the role of music, women, innovation, and art as political action in African American poetry. Conceiving of a new canon reveals the influential role of African American poetry in defining and reflecting the United States at all points in the nation's history.

Contents:

Introduction to a genre

The origins of African American poetry

Emancipation to modernism

The twentieth century renaissances

Contemporary African American poetry.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Mar 2019).

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

1-108-67596-4

1-108-65308-1

1-139-54893-X