It is interesting to consider the
definition for this genre that our English 234 class came up with at the
start of this course. We all seemed to have a general understanding of
what it was that we could agree upon. Students said based on what they
had read in the past, that the genre was made up of books that seemed
more 'real' than other books; that there was less fiction in black
literature. It was also said that these books had to do with mostly
issues surrounding slavery. It did not even seem to be a question that
the authors of these books would be African American themselves, that
appeared to be a given. It is funny that we were all so convinced that
we knew what this genre was at the beginning of the course and how
student's definitions have since completely changed, well mine has at
least.
It is surprising to me, upon consideration, that I would
agree with the claim that African American literature seemed more 'real'
than books from other genres. It seems very ignorant to assume that all
authors of African American literature actually had all of the life
experiences they write about actually happen to them. In fact, most
piece of this type of literature are fictional. Though some authors may
have drawn from actual historical accounts, many of the stories
themselves come from the writer's imagination. It is still safe to say
that African American literature is more real than fantasy. The
parameters of my definition steer it away from fantasy and more towards
real, human experiences.
The idea that African American literature
has to do almost exclusively with the issues surrounding slavery and
race were completely overturned upon reading "Giovanni's Room" by James
Baldwin. One might expect the book to deal with race simply because
Baldwin was an African American writer. I definitely went into the book
with that expectation. This perception extended to the point where I
believed several characters in the book to be black instead of white or
Mediterranean as Baldwin had intended simply because of the fact that we
were reading it in a "Major Writers in African American Literature"
class. Though I think the title of the class had more to do with this
than the skin color of the author, I can certainly see how his skin
color might have given students certain expectations as well.
"Giovanni's Room" did not tackle the issue of race at all. The book was
about a white man dealing with his inner conflict involving his
homosexuality. Upon reading it I would definitely say that it qualifies
as a great work of literature, but it does not fit under my definition
of African American literature specifically. Black writers can write
about anything, they are certainly not limited to issues of race or
slavery. An author's skin color should not have anything to do with what
label goes on that author's writing.
Writers of African American
literature do not have to be black. To fit under my definition the
material needs only to have connections to black culture or history. The
profession of writing entails the ability to create from many different
perspectives. I recently read a book called "The Help" by Kathryn
Stockett, a white author, that I would consider an example of this. In
the book Stockett writes from the perspectives of several different
characters including two African American women working as maids in
Mississippi during the 1960s. "The Help" is clearly a book that
addresses issues of race and segregation. I would certainly consider it a
work of African American literature because of its content. Similarly,
the classic work "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was written by another white woman,
Harriet Beecher Stowe. The book discusses slavery and the suffering
involved with it. This book would also qualify as African American
literature because of its subject matter. This leads us to the question
of what "African American issues" really are.
The word
"stereotype" comes with negative connotations because it is generally
used to describe an off-putting generalization. It becomes necessary
though when talking about facets of something like a certain group of
people or culture. The other problem with stereotypes is the way they
vary from person to person. One person might assume one thing about a
certain group of people while another might assume the opposite, making
universal stereotyping difficult. It is up to both the author and the
reader to determine whether or not a work falls under the category of
African American literature. An example of this from class would include
Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye", a book that deals with the issue of
skin color as it correlates to beauty and equality. This genre does not
have to refer to pieces that deal only with slavery, inequality, or
segregation. There are many modern subjects that can be explored through
literature besides these. For example, a piece of African American
literature might touch on the use of the "N" word in today's popular
culture. It can be anything that either the reader or the writer deems a
legitimate African American issue to be as long as there is evidence
that one can make a claim for and defend successfully. Critics have
argued that this genre no longer exists because American culture no
longer has to deal with difficulties such as slavery or the Jim Crow
laws. It is true that these things no longer exist per-se, but racism
and problems concerning race are still rampant in our society even if
they now manifest themselves in slightly different ways.
African
American literature includes any piece of literature that deals in
particular with issues that are related to African Americans as a
people. This does not mean the author needs to be black though, writers
of any skin tone can fashion characters with many different perspectives
and cultures. The common misconception that this genre includes many
works or biography and autobiography is false. Many pieces of African
American literature are fictional. Topics that are included in this
genre can include slavery and the like, but they can also be more
modern. African American literature is a growing category just like any
other type of literature.
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