Within the Circle

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This anthology presents a comprehensive overview of twentieth-century African American literary and cultural criticism, starting from the Harlem Renaissance and progressing through the civil rights era, the Black Arts Movement, and contemporary discussions in poststructuralist and black feminist theory. Angelyn Mitchell, in her introduction, emphasizes the significance for those "within the circle" of African American literature to critically engage with their own works and the established canon. The collection features essays that have either pioneered or defined critical aspects of African American literature, tackling themes such as integration, separatism, political activism, black nationalism, Afrocentricity, and black feminism, alongside the roles of art, the artist, the critic, and the audience. It includes contributions from notable figures like Langston Hughes, W. E. B. DuBois, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, and Toni Morrison, among others. This definitive volume is a significant resource for the study of African American literature and will support future scholarship. Its relevance extends to students, scholars, and general readers interested in modern literary theory and the African American experience.