Afro-Caribbean Women's Writing and Early American Literature

Afro-Caribbean Women's Writing and Early American Literature is both pedagogical and critical. The text begins by re-evaluating the poetry of Wheatley for its political commentary, demonstrates how Hurston bridges several literary genres and geographies, and introduces Black women writers of the Caribbean to some American audiences. It sheds light on lesser-discussed Black women playwrights of the Harlem Renaissance and re-evaluates the turn-of-the century concept, Noble Womanhood in light of the Cult of Domesticity. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Contents Preface: The Work of Black Women Writing Communities Acknowledgments Introduction Notes Bibliography Chapter 1: Doing the Work of “Nobler Womanhood”: Ida B. Wells-Barnett, N. F. Mossell, and Victoria Earle Matthews The Cult of Domesticity and Black Women Ida B. Wells, “The Brilliant Iola,” Takes on the Cult of Domesticity Gertrude Mossell, or Mrs. N. F. Mossell, and Nobler Womanhood Victoria Earle Matthews, African American Women, and the Great Awakening Notes Works Cited Chapter 2: Yours for Humanity: An Examination of the Life and Work of Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins (1856–1930) Notes Bibliography Chapter 3: Plagiarizing Blackness: Racial Performances and Passing in Frances E. W. Harper’s Iola Leroy, or, Shadows Uplifted To Live and Die Questioning Pride Structure Conclusion Notes Bibliography Chapter 4: New Nation, New Migration, and New Negro: A Reading of Aftermath, Rachel, and Environment Works Cited Chapter 5: When Madness Makes Sense in Early Black Women’s Drama Race, Gender, and the Dramatic Arts Intra-Racial Relation through Madness Blackness Madness and Interracial Violation Conclusion Notes Bibliography Chapter 6: Zora Neale Hurston’s Dust Tracks on a Road as Literacy Narrative Hurston’s Self-Portrait Reading Dust Tracks on a Road as Literacy Narrative Notes References Chapter 7: Karen Lord: Situating the Caribbean Female Space From Feminism Historically and Internationally to Caribbean Frames Occupying Female Space within Space Opera Subgenre in Karen Lord’s Novels Works Cited Chapter 8: A Retrospective on the Literary Influence of Merle Hodge’s Crick Crack, Monkey Works Cited Chapter 9: A Laying on of Hands: Healing the Diasporic Body in Colonized Spaces in Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John Notes Works Cited Chapter 10: Authoring Discourse: Black Feminist Theorizing in Michelle Cliff’s Claiming an Identity They Taught Me to Despise Personal and Political Black Feminist Narratives The Historians: Writing Black Feminist Space Conclusion Notes Works Cited Chapter 11: So Eager to Bloom: Reframing Images of Adolescent Protagonists in Edwidge Danticat’s Behind the Mountains and Untwine Works Cited Conclusion Teaching Morrison’s by Beginning and the Beginning Morrison and the Forgotten Civil Rights Movement of America’s Industrial North Hurston’s Literature as Bridge Concluding the Beginning? Notes Bibliography Index About the Contributors Preface: The work of Black women writing communities -- Introduction: The continued relevance of nineteenth-century Black women writers / LaToya Jefferson-James -- Doing the work of 'nobler womanhood:' Ida B. Wells-Barnett, N.F. Mossell, and Victoria Earle Matthews / LaToya Jefferson-James -- Yours for humanity: an examination of the life and work of Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins (1856-1930) / Verner Mitchell -- Plagiarizing Blackness: racial performances and passing in Frances E. W. Harper's Iola Leroy, or Shadows uplifted / Tajanae Barnes -- New nation, new migration and new negro: a reading of Aftermath, Rachel, and Environment / Shubhanku Kochar -- When madness makes sense in early Black women's drama / Regis Fox -- Zora Neale Hurston's Dust tracks on a road as literacy narrative / LaToya Jefferson-James -- Karen Lord: situating the Caribbean female space / Jacinth Howard -- A retrospective on the literary influence of Merle Hodge's Crick crack, monkey / Alison D. Ligon -- A laying on of hands: healing the diasporic body in colonized spaces in Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John / Joyce White -- Authorizing discourse: Black feminist theorizing in Michelle Cliff's Claiming an identity they taught me to despise / Alexandria Smith -- So eager to bloom: reframing images of adolescent protagonists in Edwidge Danticat's Behind the mountains and Untwine / Alison D. Ligon -- Conclusion: Beginning at the beginning: teaching Morrison through Stewart and Hurston through Marson and Conde "Afro-Caribbean Women's Writing and Early American Literature is both pedagogical and critical. The text begins by re-evaluating the poetry of Wheatley for its political commentary, demonstrates how Hurston bridges several literary genres and geographies, and introduces Black women writers of the Caribbean to some American audiences"-- Provided by publisher