Student Scholarship

Document Type

Research Paper

Abstract

This study explores Black autobiography as a significant literary genre that provides a foundation for a unique system of Black literary criticism. Rather than viewing these works merely as sociological or historical source material, the author argues that they are imaginative human expressions and works of literary art. By analyzing various narratives, the research identifies how Black autobiography presents a multifaceted picture of culture and experience that resists white aesthetic limitations. 

A primary focus of the analysis is the Black family, which served as a stronghold for human worth and a world apart from white society. The study distinguishes between the protected childhood of later generations and the unprotected childhood of the slave era, where the responsibilities of adulthood were thrust upon children early. Key relationships, particularly the strong spiritual bond between mother and child and the role of the father as a teacher of survival, are identified as direct carry-overs from precolonial African society. 

The document also details the theme of Black suffering, utilizing slave narratives and modern accounts to illustrate the physical and psychological injustices committed against Black Americans. These injustices often centered on the separation of families and the myth of white womanhood. In response to this suffering, the author categorizes various solutions and modes of resistance, including religious rebellion, the use of music and spirituals as tools for escape, and the strategic use of humor and endurance. Ultimately, the study concludes that the themes and structures found in autobiography, such as flight and rebellion, are essential to understanding all Black literature, including fiction, poetry, and drama.

Research Highlights

  • The Problem: The study addresses the historical and literary marginalization of Black autobiography, which has traditionally been treated as mere sociological source material rather than imaginative art or a legitimate literary genre. 

  • The Method: The researcher uses a multidisciplinary framework, applying psychological theories to study Black personalities and sociological theories to examine social relationships across a diverse corpus of slave narratives and 20th-century autobiographies. 

  • Qualitative Finding: The Black family serves as a central "stronghold" providing human dignity outside white sociological systems; childhood experiences are categorized into "unprotected" (immediate adult responsibility) and "protected" (shielded from racism) prototypes; the "manchild" archetype describes youths forced into adult roles; spiritual bonds often transcend physical family separation. 

  • Finding: Black autobiography functions as a structural and thematic prototype for all Black literature, establishing a basis for a unique system of Black literary criticism centered on functional, collective, and committing art. 

Publication Date

4-1973

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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