New Negro Novels. Fiction of Harlem Renaissance Writers

Essay , 2016 , 4 Pages , Grade: 1

American Studies - Literature

Harlem had evolved into a buzzing centre of Afro-American culture and art at the beginning of the 20th century. Racism, segregation and discrimination in the agricultural South of the United States had driven hundred thousands of Afro-Americans into the industrial cities of the North. Additionally, the First World War had led to a tremendous labour shortage that could only be balanced by intense migration, education and employment of black farm workers. Just like other American cities at the time, New York saw the development of an urban district with a predominantly black population. Located in the northern part of Manhattan, Harlem had almost two hundred thousand inhabitants in 1925 and covered an area of more than two square miles. This busy quarter not only supplied the entire infrastructure of modern city life but also provided the human capital and institutional resources of the New Negro Movement.

The New Negro Movement of the 1920s and 1930s brought Harlem Renaissance fiction to full bloom. Political concerns found their way into the early novels but were increasingly supplanted by artistic intentions. Torn between social uplifting and individual expression, the novelists became more and more daring in their treatment and representation of Afro-American issues. Today the Harlem Renaissance is regarded as a crucial period in the history of Afro-American literature. Its representatives used a wide range of traditional and modern narrative and stylistic techniques to produce a variety of first-rate works. Even if the civil rights movement in the 1950s dismissed some of their novels as too conservative, subsequent generations of black authors could take them as creative models.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Novels of prominent NAACP members mark the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance.
• Among the most promising Harlem Renaissance authors was Claude McKay.
• Passing by Nella Larsen, however, met favourable reviews when it came out in 1929.
• Different pigmentation among blacks is the central issue of The Blacker the Berry, a novel published in 1929.
• Harlem Renaissance novel writing culminated with the publication of Their Eyes Were Watching God in 1937.

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This text aims to provide an overview of the Harlem Renaissance, focusing on the novels written by its key authors. It explores how these works reflected the social, political, and cultural realities of the time, particularly the experiences of African Americans in the United States.

• The impact of racism and discrimination on the lives of African Americans
• The search for identity and self-expression within a racially charged society
• The role of literature in challenging stereotypes and promoting social change
• The evolution of African American literary styles and techniques
• The enduring legacy of the Harlem Renaissance on subsequent generations of African American writers

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The text begins by tracing the origins of the Harlem Renaissance, highlighting the emergence of Harlem as a cultural hub for African Americans. It then examines the contributions of prominent NAACP members, such as Jessie Redmon Fauset and Walter Francis White, whose novels addressed themes of racial prejudice and social injustice. The text explores the work of Claude McKay, whose novel "Home to Harlem" offered a realistic portrayal of the lives of black working-class people in Harlem. It then analyzes Nella Larsen's "Passing," a novel that delves into the complexities of racial identity and the impact of colorism. The text concludes by discussing Wallace Thurman's "The Blacker the Berry," a satirical novel that critiques the internalized racism within the African American community. The text also discusses Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God," a groundbreaking novel that explores themes of female empowerment and the search for self-discovery.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

Harlem Renaissance, African American literature, racism, discrimination, identity, self-expression, social change, literary styles, narrative techniques, "There is Confusion," "The Fire in the Flint," "Home to Harlem," "Passing," "The Blacker the Berry," "Their Eyes Were Watching God," Jessie Redmon Fauset, Walter Francis White, Claude McKay, Nella Larsen, Wallace Thurman, Zora Neale Hurston.

• Grade: 1
• Author: Mag. Bernhard Wenzl (Author)
• Publication Year: 2016
• Pages: 4
• Catalog Number: V314307
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668130265
• ISBN (Book): 9783668130272
• Language: English
• Tags: Harlem Renaissance, New Negro, Jessie Redmon Fauset, Walter Francis White, Claude McKay, Nella Larsen, Wallace Thurman, Zora Neale Hurston, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, There is Confusion, The Fire in the Flint, Home to Harlem, Passing, The Blacker the Berry, Their Eyes Were Watching God, James Baldwin, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Great Migration, Survey Graphic, Alain LeRoy Locke, Aaron Douglas, The Crisis, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, Ernest Gaines, Maya Angelou