The Harlem Renaissance

Abstract

This course is designed to explore the socio-political environment and evolution of AfroAmericans as reflected in the literature of the Harlem Renaissance (1919 – 1939) in drama, fiction, poetry and other forms of artistic expression. Students will study the relation of the various changes taking place on the social and political scenes during the first four decades of the twentieth century. The birth of the “New Negro,” the impact of Black Art and Music first in Europe and in the United States will be treated through its literature of justification/revolt or literature of racial/ethnic promotion, cultural awareness and identity. The course will compare the works of key figures of the Harlem Renaissance such as Claude McKay, Counte Cullen, Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer and of those undertaken by the writers of “lost generation,” such as Hemingway and Fitzgerald. New themes and forms developed by the Renaissance writers and their influence on succeeding generations will be studied.