Harlem Renaissance Literature

Grade 11 · English · Study Guide

A survey of the groundbreaking African American literary, artistic, and intellectual movement centered in Harlem, New York during the 1920s and 1930s.

The Harlem Renaissance was an extraordinary flowering of African American art, literature, and intellectual life centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City during the 1920s and into the 1930s. Sometimes called the New Negro Movement, it arose in the aftermath of the Great Migration, when hundreds of thousands of Black Americans moved from the rural South to northern cities seeking better opportunities and freedom from racial terror.

Langston Hughes became the movement's most celebrated poet, capturing the rhythms of jazz and blues in poems like 'The Weary Blues' and 'I, Too, Sing America.' His poetry celebrated Black identity and life while confronting racial injustice directly. Zora Neale Hurston brought the folklore and dialect of the Black rural South to literary prominence in novels like 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' (1937), a work later recognized as a landmark of 20th-century American literature.

Countee Cullen wrote in more traditional poetic forms, wrestling with questions of race and identity in poems like 'Heritage.' Claude McKay's fiery sonnet 'If We Must Die' became an anthem of resistance. Jean Toomer's experimental work 'Cane' (1923) blended poetry, prose, and drama to capture the Southern Black experience.

Beyond literature, thinkers like Alain Locke articulated a new vision of Black identity in 'The New Negro' (1925), while W.E.B. Du Bois used the NAACP's magazine 'The Crisis' as a platform for civil rights and cultural commentary. The movement permanently shaped American literature and culture.

Key terms

Harlem Renaissance: A cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement among African Americans centered in Harlem, New York, primarily during the 1920s
Great Migration: The movement of approximately six million Black Americans from the rural South to northern and western cities between 1910 and 1970
New Negro Movement: Another name for the Harlem Renaissance, reflecting a new assertiveness and pride in Black identity and cultural achievement
Jazz Poetry: A literary style pioneered by Langston Hughes that incorporated the rhythms, improvisational feel, and themes of jazz and blues music
The Crisis: The NAACP's magazine edited by W.E.B. Du Bois that published Harlem Renaissance writers and advocated for civil rights
Dialect Literature: Writing that authentically represents the speech patterns of a particular community, as used by Zora Neale Hurston to capture Southern Black vernacular

Flashcards

Langston Hughes: Leading Harlem Renaissance poet who infused verse with jazz and blues rhythms; wrote 'The Weary Blues,' 'I, Too,' and 'Montage of a Dream Deferred'
Zora Neale Hurston: Harlem Renaissance novelist and anthropologist; 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' (1937) celebrated Black Southern vernacular culture and female independence
Claude McKay: Jamaican-American Harlem Renaissance poet known for the defiant sonnet 'If We Must Die' and novels like 'Home to Harlem'
Countee Cullen: Harlem Renaissance poet who worked in traditional forms; 'Heritage' and 'Incident' explore racial identity and the psychological toll of racism
Jean Toomer: Author of 'Cane' (1923), an experimental blend of poetry and prose capturing the Black experience in the South and North
Alain Locke: Philosopher and Howard University professor called the 'dean' of the Harlem Renaissance; edited the landmark anthology 'The New Negro' (1925)
W.E.B. Du Bois: Civil rights leader, sociologist, and NAACP co-founder; his concept of 'double consciousness' described the internal conflict of African American identity
Double Consciousness: Du Bois's term for the psychological tension of African Americans who see themselves both through their own eyes and through the lens of white American society

Questions

Which Harlem Renaissance poet is best known for incorporating jazz and blues rhythms into poetry and writing 'The Weary Blues'?
1. Countee Cullen
2. Claude McKay
3. Langston Hughes
4. Jean Toomer
Show answer
Answer: Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes is the defining literary voice of the Harlem Renaissance, famous for bringing jazz and blues aesthetics into poetry, beginning with 'The Weary Blues' (1926).
Zora Neale Hurston's 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' was immediately celebrated as a masterpiece when it was first published in 1937.
Show answer
Answer: False
Hurston's novel received a mixed reception in 1937 and fell into obscurity; it was rediscovered in the 1970s largely through Alice Walker's advocacy and is now considered a classic.
The Harlem Renaissance is also known as the 'New ________ Movement,' reflecting a new assertiveness in Black cultural identity.
Show answer
Answer: negro
The New Negro Movement was the name used by participants themselves, signaling a shift from the older stereotypes and a proud embrace of African American identity and achievement.
Alain Locke's 1925 anthology 'The New Negro' is significant because it did which of the following?
1. Called for armed revolution against racial segregation
2. Articulated a new vision of Black identity, culture, and artistic achievement
3. Argued that Black Americans should return to Africa
4. Criticized Langston Hughes for abandoning traditional poetic forms
Show answer
Answer: Articulated a new vision of Black identity, culture, and artistic achievement
Locke's anthology showcased Black art, literature, and philosophy to argue for a new, assertive Black identity — it became the intellectual manifesto of the Harlem Renaissance.
The Harlem Renaissance was fueled in part by the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to northern cities.
Show answer
Answer: True
The Great Migration brought hundreds of thousands of Black Americans to Harlem and other northern cities, creating the critical mass of talent, community, and patronage that made the Renaissance possible.

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