1. REALISM, NATURALISM, AND MODERNISM IN AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE

2. Categorically... Realism: "A faithful reproduction of reality"
Naturalism: "A harsher treatment of that reality"
Modernism: "A strong and intentional break with tradition"

3. Important Writers Richard Wright (1908 - 1960)
Ralph Ellison ( )
James Baldwin ( )
Gwendolyn Brooks ( )
Lorraine Hansberry ( )

4. Richard Wright
American novelist, born in Roxie Miss. in 1908
Suffered from difficult home life, with breakup of parents and illness of mother
Moved to Chicago in 1927 and worked in menial jobs
Joined Communist party in 1932
Became a member of Federal Writers' Project from
Moved to New York in 1937 and became the Harlem editor of Daily Worker
Left Communist party in 1944
Settled in Paris in 1946 where he lived until his death of a heart attack in 1960

5. Richard Wright and Urban Realism
Criticized writings of Harlem Renaissance
Native Son described reality of urban black America
Describes juvenile delinquents caught in urban poverty
Constituted the highest form of "protest writing"
1945 wrote Black Boy- a harrowing autobiography of growing up in the South

6. Ralph Ellison
Grew up in a poor neighborhood in Oklahoma, but was encouraged to succeed by parents, and attended best schools
Attended Tuskegee College on scholarship and studied music
Left to study sculpture in New York
Met Richard Wright and Langston Hughes who encouraged him to write for Federal Writers' Project
Pursued his writing interest by writing poetry, essays, fiction
Began Invisible Man after short time in Merchant Marines
Took seven years to complete novel (1952)
Worked on but never completed a trilogy and died in 1994

7. Ralph Ellison and Black Modernism
Invisible Man reflected an experimental attitude, combining social responsibility, writing craft, and technical rigor of narrative, beyond the typical "protest" novel
Inspired by writings of Marx, Hemingway, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Richard Wright, and Freud
Inspired by jazz and blues music
His style departed from that of Richard Wright in that his characters were articulate, educated and self-aware

8. Invisible Man
Ralph Waldo Ellison achieved international fame with Invisible Man, written in According to its publisher, "Invisible Man is a milestone in American literature, a book that has continued to engage readers since its appearance in A first novel by an unknown writer, it remained on the bestseller list for sixteen weeks, won the National Book Award for fiction, and established Ralph Ellison as one of the key writers of the century. The nameless narrator of the novel describes growing up in a black community in the South, attending a Negro college from which he is expelled, moving to New York and becoming the chief spokesman of the Harlem branch of "the Brotherhood," and retreating amid violence and confusion to the basement lair of the Invisible Man he imagines himself to be.

9. James Baldwin
Spoke of pain and suffering of black Americans and saving power of brotherhood
Born in Harlem in 1924, in poverty - oldest of 9 children, troubled and difficult childhood, strict demanding father
Developed a passion for writing and became friends with Richard Wright who secured grant to help him with writing career
Moved to Europe where he worked on his autobiographical novel Go Tell it on The Mountain (1953)
Continued to write often tackling taboo themes (homosexuality, interracial relationships)
Returned to America to become voice for equality, civil rights

10. James Baldwin "the art of confession"
"all artists, if they are to survive are forced to tell the whole story"
Poverty, humiliation, religious alienation, and estrangement from his father, drove his imagination
Semi-autobiographical novel, Go Tell it On The Mountain describes the struggles in his relationship with Richard Wright, and his step-father

11. "An attempt to be loved"
Baldwin admitted that his writing was an escape to another world and an attempt to find love. His passage to that other world was limited by his experiences of racism and homophobia. He was known for his attacks on protest fiction which secured his place as a major American writer. He was called the "conscience of the nation" criticizing failed democracy.

12. Poetry
Poetry of this period combined themes of protest with "folksy narrative" devices
"A Street in Bronzeville" - Gwendolyn Brooks focused on poor blacks in ghetto streets with intimate detail
Embraced global realities of WWII and spreading shadows of facism

13. Gwendolyn Brooks 1917 - 2000 Moved to Chicago at early age
Poor but supportive, warm family life
Met Langston Hughes who encouraged her to read and write modern poetry
Wrote poetry column for Chicago paper
First book of poetry "A Street in Bronzeville" brought instant acclaim (1945)
First African American to win Pulitzer Prize (1950)
Used some elements of "protest" but mostly concerned with aesthetic style
Unforgettable characters, describing urban life

14. Gwendolyn Brooks and Modernism
Demonstrated technical confidence using traditional forms (sonnets, lyrics, ballads)
Attention to the art of writing- form and technical craftsmanship
Highly intellectualized and academic
Willing to challenge traditional conventions
Tried to make poetry accessible to all

15. Lorraine Hansberry
Born in Chicago -parents were activists and intellectuals
Moved to New York in 1950 and met many famous and influential writers -- Langston Hughes, W.E.B Dubois
Wrote play A Raisin in the Sun in 1959 taking its title from Langston Hughes poem and inspired from a segregation issue her family dealt with in Chicago
Wrote the first play by a black woman to be produced on Broadway- longest running play up to that time
Explored African roots of African-American experiences
Used a liberal standpoint and promoted integration, women's rights and civil rights
Died of cancer at 35