Long Black Song: Essays in Black American Literature and Culture

Houston Baker maintains that black American culture grounded in a unique historical experience is distinct from any other and that it has produced a body of literature that is equally and demonstrably unique in its sources values and modes of expression. He argues that black American literature is rooted in black folklore- animal tales trickster slave tales religious tales folk songs spirituals and ballads- and that a knowledge of this tradition is essential to the understanding of any individua...See More