The Black 'I': Author and Audience in African-American Literature (African-American Literature and Culture, Vol. 2)

For over a century, the African American author has faced the challenge of writing for a racially dual audience and their often divergent expectations. This book explores the author’s cultural and literary dilemma, using dialogical insights to examine two contrasting approaches the author may take toward each audience. The result is a groundbreaking new literary theory that identifies four distinct types of African American literature and redefines the concept of double consciousness for the African American writer.