We wear the mask : African Americans write American literature, 1760-1870
Rafia Zafar (Author)
From America's revolutionary period to the Civil War and Reconstruction, African Americans contributed important works to the country's blossoming literary canon. Written in a variety of genres, from neoclassical poetry to sentimental fiction, their work represented a desire to bridge the racial divide and to "write themselves into acceptance." Striving for an integrated audience, they recounted experiences and voiced opinions from a unique, African American perspective
Criticism, interpretation, etc
xi, 249 pages ; 24 cm
9780231080941, 9780231080958, 0231080948, 0231080956
36159536
Introduction: of masks, mimicry, and invisibility
Sable patriots and modern Egyptians: Phillis Wheatley, Joel Barlow, and Ann Eliza Bleecker
Capturing the captivity: African Americans among the Puritans
Enslaving the saved: the narratives of Henry Bibb and William Wells Brown
"It is natural to believe in great men."
The blackwoman in the attic
Dressing up and dressing down: Elizabeth Keckley's Behind the scenes at the White House and Eliza Potter's A hairdresser's experience in high life
Conclusion: the beginning of African American literature