Harlem Renaissance

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Philathia Bolton (University of Akron)

Ed. by Patrick Chura, University of Akron
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.5: African American Writing and Culture of the United States.
Vol. editors: Philathia Bolton (University of Akron), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), A Yemisi Jimoh (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University)

Domains

Art Movements, styles and periods
Movements, styles and periods (literature)

Dates

Date of occurrence 1912-1929

Places

United States (Location)

Helene Johnson begins “Sonnet to a Negro in Harlem” (1927) with words that well capture the ethos of the time. “You are disdainful and magnificent – / Your perfect body and your pompous gait”, the speaker opines before closing with a declaration: “I love your laughter arrogant, and bold / You are too splendid for this city street”. Johnson is not considered a major writer of the 1920s; however, this poem reflects important tensions around cultural production and audience reception that defined the decade. It also exposes general, shifting beliefs about the political position held and the role played by people of African descent within the United States during the Harlem Renaissance.

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2523 words

Citation: Bolton, Philathia. "Harlem Renaissance". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 September 2022 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1379, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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Harlem Renaissance

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