Critical Essays on American Literature Series - African-American Literary Criticism, 1773-2000 (Hardcover)

by Hazel Arnett Ervin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This unique anthology assembles over 200 years of critical thought on African-American literature, with contributions spanning from Philis Wheatley to Alexis Pate. The 60 seminal statements include addresses (Matthews, DuBois), manifestoes (Hughes, Petry, Wright, Baldwin, Ellison), and essays by authors who have analyzed literature and developed theory (Baraka, Chesnutt, Morrison, Gates, Walker, Hooks).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 543 pages
• Publisher: Twayne Publishers; 1 edition (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805716831
• ISBN-13: 978-0805716832
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,349,399 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Request for wider availability, January 8, 2004

By A Customer

Dynamic, stimulating, and accessible are all adjectives that showcase the collection of essays included in African American Literary Criticism, 1773 to 2000. This work serves as text that allows scholars, critics, and students to access pertinent information on African American Literary Criticism in one fine collection.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Request for Wider Availability, March 11, 2001

By	L. King (State College, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ervin's succinct and straightforward explanation of the central idea in each anthologized essay is what makes this book different from others, and what makes its content accessible to anyone--undergraduate and graduate students, professors and independent scholars--interested in viewing the history of the African American literary tradition through a critical lens.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Colleagues Review Ms. Ervin's Book, November 16, 2000

By A Customer

1. AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERARY CRITICISM,1773 to 2000 documents the full range of black cultural criticism, from Phillis Wheatley's aesthetic statements to the poetics of hip-hop. The collection reveals that African American criticism, like the expressive culture it examines, is a "long black song" of many and varied voices. -- Keith Byerman, Indiana State University

2. A first-rate reader and reference whose thoughfully chosen selections are unprecedentedly inclusive and judiciusly representative of theoretical and applied criticism. Cross-referencing in the table of contents--by historical chronology, genre, and critical approaches--encourages dimensional consideration of the selections. The generous introduction is an excellent survey of Afro-American criticism that provides an illuminating frame of reference for exploration of the texts. --Theodore R. Hudson, Former Graduate Professor of English, Howard University

3. AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERARY CRITICISM,1773 TO 2000 is the best kind of scholarship: comprehensive, stimulating, and accessible. Every serious student of African American literature will want to own this book. --Hilary Holladay, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

4. A valuable and long overdue text which is ideally suited to the needs of both students and instructors. For far too long, sustained focus on African American literary theory as a subject area has been subsumed to the chronicling of African American literary history. I am particularly pleased to see the publication of this collection, and I celebrate the endof many tedious trips to the photocopy machine. --Carol P. Marsh-Lockett, Georgia State University