Twentieth Century American Literature: Maya Angelou

Description

The landmark Chelsea House Library of Literary Criticism, first published in the 1980s, is one of the most impressive collections of literary criticism ever produced. It is now available in digital format for the first time. This volume of the series provides excerpts and full-length critical essays on the poet and memoirist Maya Angelou. 

Sujets

• Literary Criticism
• América
• Literature
• Contemporary history
• Study
• 20th century
• African American
• Author
• American
• Contemporary
• Train de luxe

Informations

• Publié par: Infobase Publishing
• Date de parution: 01 février 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781685661250
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Twentieth Century American Literature: Maya Angelou
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ISBN 978-1-68566-125-0
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Contents Chapters Interview with Robert Chrisman (excerpt on Maya Angelou) A Platoon of Poets (excerpt on Maya Angelou) The Phenomenal Woman and the Severed Daughter (excerpt on Maya Angelou) Growing up and the Serious Business of Survival (excerpt on Maya Angelou) The Metaphysics of Matrilinearism in Women s Autobiography (excerpt on Maya Angelou) Black Scholar (excerpt on Maya Angelou) World Literature Today (excerpt on Maya Angelou) A Black Woman s Story (excerpt on Maya Angelou) The Song of a Caged Bird: Maya Angelou s Quest After Self-Acceptance
Chapters
Interview with Robert Chrisman (excerpt on Maya Angelou)
1977

Black Scholar: Can you comment a bit on the importance of endurance in black writers?
Maya Angelou: Endurance is one thing. I think endurance with output, endurance with productivity is the issue. If one has the fortune, good or bad, to stay alive one endures, but to continue to write the books and get them out—that's the productivity and I think that is important to link with the endurance.
I find myself taking issue with the term minor poet, minor writer of the 18th century, minor writer of the 19th century; but I do understand what people mean by that. Generally they mean that the writer, the poet who only wrote one book of poetry or one novel, or two, is considered a minor poet or minor writer because of his or her output, its scarcity. I can't argue with that. I do believe that it is important to get the work done, seen, read, published, and given to an audience. One has enjoyed oneself, one has done what one has been put here to do, to write. Another thing is that one has given a legacy of some quantity to generations to come. Whether they like it or not, whether the writer values the next generation, or values the work or not, at least there is something, there is a body of work to examine and to respond to, to react to.
I know a number of people who do work very slowly but I don't believe, although I have close friends who write slowly, in taking five years to write one book. Now I think they have psyched themselves into believing they cannot work more quickly, that hence because they work slowly their work is of more value. They also believe—they have bought that American baloney, the masterpiece theory—everything you write must be a masterpiece, each painting you paint must be a masterpiece.