A brief survey of the African American autobiography; tradition, development, and images of Africa
Keywords:
African American, autobiography, image of AfricaAbstract
The African American autobiography holds a position of priority amongst the different forms of African
American literature. The reason for this assertion is that not only was it one of the earliest forms of
written expression by African Americans, but it has over the years remained a genre that powerfully
speaks of the common experiences, as well as the expression of identity among the African American
community. This article begins by discussing the African American autobiographical tradition. It then
traces the growth and development of the genre since the days of slavery, to the Reconstruction, then
the Civil Rights Era, and finally to the present-day, offering a classification of the genre that is rarely
used by literary critics. The article concludes with a review of the importance placed on Africa by
African American autobiographers over the years. This is an area that has received little attention by
literary critics
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