Preface by Gore Vidal
"The essential American form of expression." - from the Introduction by Jay Parini
From Mary Rowlandson's story of her capture by Indians in the mid-seventeenth century to Mary Paik Lee's story of being a pioneer Korean woman in America at the beginning of the twentieth century, the autobiographical form has provided our most vivid, intimate glimpses of daily American life and self-understanding.
In this groundbreaking anthology, respected writer and critic Jay Parini brings together an abundant selection from over three centuries of "the democratic voice . . . discovering itself." Here are the voices of the Founding Fathers and African American slaves; of transcendentalists and suffragists; of ancestors such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Mark Twain, Henry James, Helen Keller, Zora Neale Hurston, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, James Baldwin, and many others; and of a wide range of contemporaries, including Maxine Hong Kingston, Gore Vidal, Julia Alvarez, and Mark Doty.
The rich, continuous influence of autobiographical writing in our culture is clear, and as memoirs continue to fascinate readers, this invaluable anthology provides an essential guide to our foremost American literary tradition.
Jay Parini, a poet and novelist, teaches at Middlebury College. Parini's recent books include The Last Station, Benjamin's Crossing, and Some Necessary Angels: Essays on Writing and Politics. Gore Vidal's recent books include his collected essays, United States, and a novel, The Smithsonian.
February / ISBN 0-393-04677-X / 480 pages / BIOGRAPHY
The Norton Anthology of African American Literature
The Editors
Gates, McKay--General Editors
Andrews, Baker, Christian, Foster, McDowell, O'Meally, Rampersad,
Spillers, Yarbourough
This
much-anticipated new Norton anthology brings together 250 years
of writing in a groundbreaking and comprehensive overview of
the African American literary tradition. Edited by a
distinguished team of teachers and scholars, The Norton Antholog
of African
American Literature features a deep and wide selection of
geners--poetry, fiction, drama, autobiographical narratives,
essays,
journals--and a wealth of vernacular forms--blues, gospel,
spirituals, folktales, sermons, testimonies, and speeches.
Organized
chronologically, The Norton Anthology of African American
Literature gathers the work of 120 writers from 1746 to the
present in a
vibrant teaching anthology that is poised to redefine the African
literature survey course.
Included with The Norton Anthology of African American
Literature: The Audio Companion CD.
"The Norton Anthology of African American Literature is
indeed a cultural event. Monumental in vision and design,
brilliantly inclusive, rich and exciting, its presence in our
midst will make an enormous difference to all
Americans."--Joyce Carol Oates
Highlights
Thirteen Complete Works
The Norton Anthology of African American Literature provides a
complete course in a book. Thirteen major works are included in
their entirety:
Frederick Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,
An American Slave; W. E. B. Du Bois's The Soul's of Black Folk;
James Weldon
Johnson's The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man; Jean Toomer's
Cane; Melvin B. Tolson's Libretto for the Republic of Liberia;
Richard
Wright's The Man Who Lived Underground; Gwendolyn Brooks's Maud
Martha; Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun; Amiri Baraka's
Dutchman; Ed Bullins's Goin Buffalo: A Tragifantasy; Toni
Morrison's Sula; Adrienne Kennedy's A Movie Star Has to Star in
Black and White;
and August Wilson's Fences.
The Vernacular Tradition Fully Featured
The vernacular tradition is the foundation of African American
literature, and so it is the starting place for The Norton
Anthology of African American
Literature. The opening section of blues, gospel, spirituals,
jazz, rap, folktales, sermons, prayers, testimonies, and speeches
includes brief
introductions to each form, along witha rich selection of printed
texts.
Helpful Apparatus and a Readable Format
The Norton Anthology of African American Literature opens with
Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Nellie Y. McKay's lively, incisive
preface, "Talking
Books." Period introductions and a timeline of African
American literature place the works in cultural and literary
context. The anthology features
author headnotes that are concise yet thorough and annotations
that are explanatory, not interpretive. Selected Bibliographies
geared to students round
out the volume. As always, the Norton anthology offers an
attractive page with a line-length for maximum ease of reading.
http://www.wwnorton.com/english/naaal/highlite.htm
May 30, 2001