Introduction to the Literature and Voices of the Era
The first time in American history where groups of poets and authors, consisting of people of color, grasped onto the opportunity to express their art form, The Harlem Renaissance jump started African-Americans’ movement into day-to-day society. The publication of the seminal figure Claude McKay’s Harlem Dancer in 1918 was part of the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance. During this age, there was an increasing billow of works either by or regarding African-Americans, some even acquiring critical praise. Two of the major writers from the Harlem Renaissance are Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. M.S.
The first time in American history where groups of poets and authors, consisting of people of color, grasped onto the opportunity to express their art form, The Harlem Renaissance jump started African-Americans’ movement into day-to-day society. The publication of the seminal figure Claude McKay’s Harlem Dancer in 1918 was part of the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance. During this age, there was an increasing billow of works either by or regarding African-Americans, some even acquiring critical praise. Two of the major writers from the Harlem Renaissance are Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. M.S.
Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly." -Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes is seen as the "closest to personifying the Harlem Renaissance than any other writer of the era" ("African American Department..."). The Weary Blues, his book of poetry, is widely acknowledged as the epitome of the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance, for much of his rhyming was inspired by the jazz and bluesy sounds of this era. M.S.
Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960)
Raised in Eatonville, Florida, one of the first all-black towns, she moved to New York City in 1925. Acquiring a reputation as "a spunky storyteller and partygoer," ("African American Department...") Hurston moved to Harlem and began writing about the connection between men and women, race, and individuality. Two of Hurston's most notable works is that of Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) and Seraph on the Suwanee (1948). She wrote the former in the Carribean after an affair with a younger man and took a total of seven weeks to write. The story follows Janie, an African American woman in the early 1900's, trying to accept who she is while society may not be so quickly willing to do so.
Hurston, in her writing of the relationship between men and women, writes often about love. Having been married several times, Hurston has said of love that "under the spell of moonlight, music, flowers, or the cut and smell of good tweeds, I sometimes feel the divine urge for an hour, a day, or maybe a week. Then it is gone and my interest returns to corn pone and mustard greens, or rubbing a paragraph with a soft cloth....I was sincere for the moment in which I said the things. It is strictly a matter of time. It was true for the moment, but the next day or the next week, is not that moment....That look, that tender touch, was issued by the mint of the richest of all kingdoms. That same expression of today is utter counterfeit; or at best the wildest of inflation. What could be more zestless than passing out canceled checks? It is wrong to be called faithless under circumstances like that. What to do?" (Hurston). M.S.
Hurston, in her writing of the relationship between men and women, writes often about love. Having been married several times, Hurston has said of love that "under the spell of moonlight, music, flowers, or the cut and smell of good tweeds, I sometimes feel the divine urge for an hour, a day, or maybe a week. Then it is gone and my interest returns to corn pone and mustard greens, or rubbing a paragraph with a soft cloth....I was sincere for the moment in which I said the things. It is strictly a matter of time. It was true for the moment, but the next day or the next week, is not that moment....That look, that tender touch, was issued by the mint of the richest of all kingdoms. That same expression of today is utter counterfeit; or at best the wildest of inflation. What could be more zestless than passing out canceled checks? It is wrong to be called faithless under circumstances like that. What to do?" (Hurston). M.S.
Claude McKay (1889–1948)
Claude McKay was a leading Harlem Renaissance writer and author of the first novel by a black American to become a best seller. Claude McKay was born September 15, 1889, and died May 22, 1948. (His exact year of birth is contested between 1889 and 1890). Claude McKay was the youngest child out of eleven in his family, and he left to go live with his oldest brother at an early age; his brother was a school teacher. By the age of ten, Claude was an avid reader, while also beginning to write poetry. He immigrated in America in the year 1912; by 1912, Claude was an established poet.
Claude McKay was a very influential writer, influencing writers like Langston Hughes. His works included both poems and novels, with many of his works revolving around the Harlem Renaissance, like his 1928 best selling novel, "Home to Harlem." Some of his best known poems are "Baptism," "The White House," and "If We Must Die." Even though Claude wasn't prominently a modern writer, he still greatly influenced many writers during the Harlem Renaissance.
K.S.S.
Claude McKay was a very influential writer, influencing writers like Langston Hughes. His works included both poems and novels, with many of his works revolving around the Harlem Renaissance, like his 1928 best selling novel, "Home to Harlem." Some of his best known poems are "Baptism," "The White House," and "If We Must Die." Even though Claude wasn't prominently a modern writer, he still greatly influenced many writers during the Harlem Renaissance.
K.S.S.
Slang in 1920's Harlem
Solid! - perfect
Cold- exceedingly well
Handkerchief Head- a humble, sycophantic black person
Dickty- nouveau rich
Righteous Rags- fancy clothes
Draped down, Togged down- dressed in the Harlem Style
Monkey Back- dressed very fancy
Bookooing- showing off
Woofing- gossiping
Rug-Cutter- a person who wears down the floor with their feet when dancing
Boogie Woogie- lively dancing
jig-jagging- slow dancing
S.S.
Cold- exceedingly well
Handkerchief Head- a humble, sycophantic black person
Dickty- nouveau rich
Righteous Rags- fancy clothes
Draped down, Togged down- dressed in the Harlem Style
Monkey Back- dressed very fancy
Bookooing- showing off
Woofing- gossiping
Rug-Cutter- a person who wears down the floor with their feet when dancing
Boogie Woogie- lively dancing
jig-jagging- slow dancing
S.S.