Book contents
- The Cambridge History of African American Poetry
- The Cambridge History of African American Poetry
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Beginnings
- 1 An Origin Story
- 2 Phillis Wheatley Peters’s America
- 3 “Bury Me in a Free Land”
- 4 Black Periodical Poetics, 1859–1909
- 5 Landscape and Local Color in Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Poetry
- Part II Black Modernity
- Part III The New Black Poetries
- Part IV Building Our Own
- Part V Histories of The Future
- Index
- References
1 - An Origin Story
from Part I - Beginnings
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 May 2026
Edited by
Book contents
- The Cambridge History of African American Poetry
- The Cambridge History of African American Poetry
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Beginnings
- 1 An Origin Story
- 2 Phillis Wheatley Peters’s America
- 3 “Bury Me in a Free Land”
- 4 Black Periodical Poetics, 1859–1909
- 5 Landscape and Local Color in Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Poetry
- Part II Black Modernity
- Part III The New Black Poetries
- Part IV Building Our Own
- Part V Histories of The Future
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter establishes the spirituals as the bedrock of African American poetry to characterize the tradition as inherently innovative from its origins to the present. It challenges the standard claim that African American poetry begins with texts written by enslaved persons reflecting familiarity with canonical British poetry. In this approach, criticism has generally considered African American poetry in dialogue with the mainstream canon, whether emulating or criticizing its values. Privileging written texts in conventional forms has resulted in devaluing poetry reflecting characteristics such as orality, performance, anonymity, and communal collaboration. It also results in wide acceptance of an African American poetry canon that historically has overlooked the innovative nature of this genre from its origins and an ensuing tradition of avant-garde poetry. From this biased perspective, the spirituals have been overlooked as the genesis of African American poetry, even though that is their rightful place. Viewing the spirituals as the true foundation of this tradition implies shifting some assumptions not just about these poems, but about the place and meaning of originality.
Keywords
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- Information
- The Cambridge History of African American Poetry , pp. 33 - 49Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
References
Selected Bibliography
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