African American literature

African American literature is literature written by, about, and sometimes specifically for African Americans. The genre began during the 18th and 19th centuries with writers such as poet Phillis Wheatley and orator Frederick Douglass, reached an early high point with the Harlem Renaissance, and continues today with authors such as Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou being ranked among the top writers in the United States. Among the themes and issues explored in African American literature are the role of African Americans within the larger American society, African American culture, racism, slavery, and equality.

Related Topics:
Literature - African American - Genre - Phillis Wheatley - Frederick Douglass - Harlem Renaissance - Toni Morrison - Maya Angelou - Racism - Slavery - Equality

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As African Americans' place in American society has changed over the centuries, so too has the focus of African American literature. Before the American Civil War, African American literature primarily focused on the issue of slavery, as indicated by the popular subgenre of slave narratives. At the turn of the 20th century, books by authors such as W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington debated whether to confront or appease racist attitudes in the United States. During the American Civil Rights movement, authors like Richard Wright and Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about issues of segregation and black nationalism. Today, African American literature has become accepted as an integral part of American literature, with books in the genre, such as ' by Alex Haley and The Color Purple by Alice Walker, achieving both best-selling and award-winning status.

Related Topics:
American Civil War - Slavery - Slave narrative - W.E.B. DuBois - Booker T. Washington - American Civil Rights movement - Richard Wright - Gwendolyn Brooks - Segregation - Black nationalism - American literature - Alex Haley - The Color Purple - Alice Walker

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