Topics in Modern/Contemporary American Literature I

The Harlem Renaissance

Three women posing in the middle of the street in black and white

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement centered in the New York City neighbourhood of Harlem. It began in at the end of WWI and lasted through the 1930s. The movement coincided with the Jazz Age and gave rise to the production of some of the most exciting and enduring works of African American Literature. It was time in which leading figures like Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes burst in the spotlight and helped to redefine Black culture in the United States and abroad. In this course we will examine major works of African American literature, art, and music from this period. We will also engage with advanced literary research and writing.

Readings

The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader, Ed. David Levering Lewis. Penguin (1995).
A print copy of this edition of the text is required.
Additional readings will be available via onQ.