Cane...represents the apotheosis of one man's attempt to bear witness to the reality and the power of an idea . . . that the Negro is not an apprentice to equality but a journeyman in suffering." (Author)

Lists approximately 200 books and articles that examine the writings of Ralph Ellison. (GW)

an analysis of the symbols in Native Son" and a critical examination of the novel. (JB)

The works of 75 novelists, 14 dramatists, 16 short story writers, and 20 poets are included in this partially annotated bibliography based on available materials. Most entries consist of the author's name, the title of the work, and the date of publication. (SW)

Discusses the riddle posed by the dying grandfather of the narrator in Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" in terms of its language, the way it functions in the narrative, and the way in which an understanding of its solutions provides an important key to the novel. (GW)

Asserts that, contrary to the opinion of some, there is a Black American literary tradition. Examines definitions and issues fundamental to understanding that tradition, possible reasons for previous failures to identify a Black American tradition, and elements that scholars need to analyze as they try to describe the common characteristics of…

Discusses examples of two types of rhetoric employed by characters in Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man": the "old" formal rhetoric and the "new" spontaneous rhetoric. (GW)

In addition to such writers as William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers, and Eudora Welty, a good course in modern Southern fiction should include black writers such as Zora Hurston, Nella Larsen, Jean Toomer, Richard Wright, Maya Angelou, and Alice Walker. (MKM)

Traces the association of white with goodness and purity, and black with evil and sinisterism in English and American literature. The refusal of white critics to recognize a distinct black aesthetic accounts for their blindness to the literary merits of the works of Black authors. (KG)

The protagonist realizes that all men are responsible for their actions in a world of evil and absurdity, and that men must accept responsibility for their existence nevertheless." (Author)

Discusses the publications of W. E. B. Du Bois and lists them in the following categories: books, books containing short stories, poems, short fiction, and dramas. (GT)

Considers three areas of recent American criticism of "Native Son." (JM)

This article discusses the concept of modernity found in Black literature, and considers how Black literature can be utilized in literature, particularly American literature, courses. (DB)

Variations on Black Themes, an introductory course in the study of black literature, permits students to make cursory examination of representative works of many black writers for the purpose of identifying major writers and recurring themes. The course content includes: introduction to some works of major Black American authors; identification of…