African-American_Literature

African American literature
is literature written by, about, and sometimes specifically for African Americans.
began during the 18th and 19th centuries and continues till the nowadays.

Common themes
Grisly Narratives of Slavery
Alienation by Color-Line
The New, Angry Negro

Periods of African-American Literature
Early African American Literature
Slave Narratives
Post Slavery Era
Harlem Renaissance
Civil Rights Movement Era
Contemporary African-American Literature

Alice Walker
was born on February 9, 1944, in the small rural town of Eatonton, Georgia.
parents’ experiences with the oppressive sharecropping system and the racism of the American South deeply influenced her writing and life’s work.
was active participant in the African-American civil rights movement.
in 1982, Walker published her most famous novel, The Color Purple.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Celie, the protagonist and narrator of The Color Purple, is a poor, uneducated, fourteen-year-old black girl living in rural Georgia.
Nettie, Celie’s sister
Alfred, Celie’s husband
Shug Avery, Alfred’s mistress

Themes
the power of strong female relationships;
the cyclical nature of racism and sexism;
the disruption of traditional gender roles.

Motifs & Symbols
Letters
(The novel is written in the epistolary style)
God