The Norton Anthology of African American Literature (Includes Audio CD)
Book Summary Information
Editor: Henry Louis GatesEditor: Nellie Y. McKay
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1997-02
ISBN: 0393959082
Number of pages: 2665
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Book Reviews of The Norton Anthology of African American Literature (Includes Audio CD)
Book Review: not good enough
Summary: 3 Stars
2 major objections. the first is purely pragmatic. at over 2500 pages with large, closely printed pages, and incredibly thin paper, this book, though attractively designed, is simply too inconvenient for reading. the aim of an anthology, and of books in general, is to be read. the editors did not seem to have this aim in mind. perhaps 2 volumes would be better? what did they have in mind? academic advancement, perhaps, and above all a desire to "prove" african-american literature. the principle is "the bigger the better" or better phrased as "i am bigger than you". the effect, however, is just the opposite. and here comes my second objection: because too many worthless modern writers are included for size and diversity (another omnipotent word), the ordinary reader can often be repelled by the contents of this anthology. alice walker, for example, is immensely famous in our age, and for that reason perhaps a sample of her work ought to be included, but to do more and to praise her extravagantly reflects a lack of critical acumen. and indeed this is the major problem of this anthology. every writer, major and minor, is praised; some a lot some a little. and nobody is criticized, except perhaps for not being black enough, blackness here narrowly and conventionally defined by the editors. in so doing a sense of proportion is lost. the editors would do better to omit half of the unworthy writers, and include more first-rate works from the worthy ones, and condense the excessively wordy and politically correct introductions. please, let the works speak for themselves. let us remind ourselves that dubois, a magnificent writer justly celebrated in this volume, would find many of the selections unacceptable as literature. a canon is defined by principles of selection, exclusion, and discrimination. to discriminate against bad writing is the duty of the editor.
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