Skip to Main Content

African American Literature

Drama, Poetry, and Prose

Whether in fiction or nonfiction formats, most literature attempts to establish a narrative. This can be a developed story, a logical presentation of facts, some combination of the two, or anything in between. By this method, students can use the basic elements of a story to analyze a text: Where is the setting? Who are the characters? What creates conflict? Is there a satisfactory resolution? How does background knowledge of the author and the time period inform your conclusions?

Drama encompasses the categories of film, theater, and television. As a performance art, it relies on the dynamic between performer and their audience. 

This guide contains many resources on African-American dramatic arts. In the Literary Movements pages of this libguide, some of the Books sections contain full-text plays and the Media sections contain film adaptations. For critical perspectives, consult the Literature tab of the Databases section and the Art, Drama, and Poetry tab of the Journals section on the Databases and Journals page. A special feature of this LibGuide is the Media section of The Black Press page, which showcases archival collections of African-American television journalism. 

Books for Starting Your Research

Poetry includes both oral and written expressions of creative writing; often shorter than prose with a defined structure. It is often related to musical arts and early expressions often have a religious dimension. 

This guide contains many resources on African-American poetry. Primarily, consult the Poetry, Prose, and Rhetoric page to find collected works, stylistic techniques, and literary groups for further research. In the Literary Movements pages of this libguide, some of the Books sections contain books of poetry published during that time period. For critical perspectives, consult the Literature tab of the Databases section and the Art, Drama, and Poetry tab of the Journals section on the Databases and Journals page. As the Harlem and Chicago Renaissances, Black Arts Movement, and Black Women's Renaissance are considered eras when African-American poetry flourishes and develops a distinct identity, be sure to check out those pages as well. 

Books for Starting Your Research

Prose is the most loosely defined category, and includes both fiction and nonfiction genres. The distinctive quality that differentiates it from other forms is the focus on use of stylistic elements to create writing that is pleasing or particularly evocative. In addition, its effectiveness often relies upon strategic uses of rhetorical devices. 

Since prose is such a broad category, resources can be found throughout this guide. The most useful features are going to be those on African-American Oratory. The key type of texts are going to speeches and essays, which are most prominent during the Early Black Atlantic, Mid-Century, and the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. Since rhetoric is a key element of this topic, primarily consult the Literary Analysis, Criticism, and Theory page. Also, consult the Criticism and History tabs of the Journals section on the Databases and Journals page. 

Books for Starting Your Research

 Chat with a librarian