English 251 - African American Literature II

This course will examine the major African American writers of the twentieth century, beginning with the poetry and prose of Paul Laurence Dunbar and ending with the fiction of Toni Morrison, John Wideman, and the poetry of Yusef Koumanyaka, Rita Dove, and others. We will discuss the strategies involved in the creation of a 'black voice' and its relationship to Anglo-American literature. We will also consider the nature of literary influence along with the attempts, by some writers, to create a distinct 'black aesthetic.' Finally, we will discuss the difficulties black authors encounter in asserting the literary over the sociological among readers of all intellectual and social strata.

Prereq: English 250