Within the Circle: An Anthology of African American Literary Criticism from the Harlem Renaissance to the Present - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 082231536X ISBN 13: 9780822315360

Publisher: Duke University Press Books, 1994

Synopsis

Within the Circle is the first anthology to present the entire spectrum of twentieth-century African American literary and cultural criticism. It begins with the Harlem Renaissance, continues through civil rights, the Black Arts Movement, and on into contemporary debates of poststructuralist and black feminist theory. Drawing on a quote from Frederick Douglass for the title of this book, Angelyn Mitchell explains in her introduction the importance for those "within the circle" of African American literature to examine their own works and to engage this critical canon.
The essays in this collection—many of which are not widely available today—either initiated or gave critical definition to specific periods or movements of African American literature. They address issues such as integration, separatism, political action, black nationalism, Afrocentricity, black feminism, as well as the role of art, the artist, the critic, and the audience. With selections from Langston Hughes, Sterling Brown, W. E. B. DuBois, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Barbara Smith, Alice Walker, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and many others, this definitive collection provides a dynamic model of the cultural, ideological, historical, and aesthetic considerations in African American literature and literary criticism.
A major contribution to the study of African American literature, this volume will serve as a foundation for future work by students and scholars. Its importance will be recognized by all those interested in modern literary theory as well as general readers concerned with the African American experience.

Selections by (partial list): Houston A. Baker, Jr., James Baldwin, Sterling Brown, Barbara Christian, W. E. B. DuBois, Ralph Ellison, LeRoi Jones, Sarah Webster Fabio, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., W. Lawrence Hogue, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Alain Locke, Deborah E. McDowell, Toni Morrison, J. Saunders Redding, George Schuyler, Barbara Smith, Valerie Smith, Hortense J. Spillers, Robert B. Stepto, Alice Walker, Margaret Walker, Mary Helen Washington, Richard Wright

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"As "Within the Circle" chronicles the development of twentieth-century African American literary criticism and theory, it illustrates the impressive breadth and highlights the critical issues of the tradition. Mitchell's fine editorial judgment in the selection and her thorough insights in her introductory comments complete a task that scholars of African American literature have been eagerly awaiting. This anthology is a precious addition to African American literary scholarship."--Karla Holloway

About the Author:

Angelyn Mitchell is Assistant Professor of English at Georgetown University.

About this edition

• Publisher: Duke University Press Books
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 082231536X
• ISBN 13: 9780822315360
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 544
• Editor: Mitchell Angelyn