The Black American Short Story In The 20th Century

This volume is a collection of essays on black short stories written between 1998 and 1976. It aims to say something about the black short story as a genre and the development of the racial situation in America as well. The primary aim is to introduce the reader to this long neglected genre of black fiction. In contrast to the black novel, the short story has hardly been given extensive criticism, let alone serious attention. The individual essays of this collection aim at presenting new points of critical orientation in the hope of reviving and fostering further discussions. They provide a variety of approaches, and a great diversity of critical points of view.

Pivotal stories from post-slavery days through the Harlem Renaissance and into the nineties.

Including one new story and an Index by author of every story that has ever appeared in the series, this new volume offers a "spectacular tapestry of fictional achievement" ("Entertainment Weekly").

A collection of stories written by African-American authors about the American West over the course of the twentieth century.

African American short fiction can only be appreciated if read by first taking into account their multifarious responses to their contemporary political, economic, social and cultural circumstances. The stories presented in Writing from the Black Soul illustrate how in provocative ways African American writers from the second half of the nineteenth century onwards explored a number of themes that were relevant not only to the development of new and original literary traditions but also to the advancement of racial relationships in the post-slavery, segregated United States of their time.

Offering diverse perspectives on the black experience, this anthology of short fiction spotlights works by influential African-American authors. Nearly 30 outstanding stories include tales by W. E. B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, and Jamaica Kincaid. From the turn of the twentieth century come Alice Ruth Moore's "A Carnival Jangle," Charles W. Chesnutt's "Uncle Wellington’s Wives," and Paul Laurence Dunbar's "The Scapegoat." Other stories include "Becky" by Jean Toomer; "Afternoon" by Ralph Ellison; Langston Hughes's "Feet Live Their Own Life"; and "Jesus Christ in Texas" by W. E. B. Du Bois. Samples of more recent fiction include tales by Jervey Tervalon, Alice Walker, and Edwidge Danticat. Ideal for browsing, this collection is also suitable for courses in African-American studies and American literature.

Although the short story has existed in various forms for centuries, it has particularly flourished during the last hundred years. Reader's Companion to the Short Story in English includes alphabetically-arranged entries for 50 English-language short story writers from around the world. Most of these writers have been active since 1960, and they reflect a wide range of experiences and perspectives in their works. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and includes biography, a review of existing criticism, a lengthier analysis of specific works, and a selected bibliography of primary and secondary sources. The volume begins with a detailed introduction to the short story genre and concludes with an annotated bibliography of major works on short story theory.