Traces the history of English prose from Francis Bacon to the present, commenting on the quality of various authors' writing and of fiction today. (HTH)

Submits that Martin Luther King's persuasiveness in his writings may be attributed not only to his structure, logic, and ethos, but even more to his creative, eloquent, and commanding use of the English language. Supports this argument with examples from King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail." (RL)

Discusses Ellison's unique understanding and use of the blues and his relationship to a mainstream western philosophy, which he comes to through the blues; existentialism. (Author/AM)

Contends that "disillusionment novels" are characterized by a circumscribed vision of the world which itself is a function of limits set upon the authors by the historical situation of their position in society. Analyzes two Nigerian classic examples of the genre, Chinua Achebe's "A Man of the People" and Wole Soyinka's…

Analyzes four prize-winning children's books about the Black experience in America. Concludes that books about the Black experience in America must be evaluated in terms of a selective historic and religious tradition and in light of the cultural background of the authors. (RS)

Discusses the Native American literary renaissance that began in 1968, and introduces a survey of 175 books published since then by American Indians and Eskimos. Clarifies usage of "American Indian,""American Indian literature," and "Native American." Examines literary criticism of contemporary Native American…

Discusses external and internal influences, such as pressure from critics and drive for financial reward, which must be eradicated for a writer of children's literature to remain focused on the primary task of writing to entertain, enchant, and inform young readers. (NH)

No work by Zora Neale Hurston has received harsher critical evaluation than her anthropological study of Haiti and Jamaica, "Tell My Horse." Although her aim in part was to write a commercially successful popular book, she also aimed, with some success, to offer significant social commentary. (SLD)

The author of this article provides a critical assessment of Simon J. Ortiz's collection of poetry, "Out There Somewhere," to see how this literature of resistance continues through cultural connections. The resistance one finds in the poems--against mainstream political, social, and economic forces--results in continuance of Ortiz's…

A chronologically presented, condensed adaptation into English of Vinogradov's classic work on the history of the Russian literary language from the 17th to the 19th century is broadened in scope by Lawrence Thomas' introduction. The text develops the fundamental interrelationship of Church Slavonic, chancery language of government, and the…

Kenneth Burke was a college dropout who did not enjoy notable success until quite late in life. His major interest was the development of a meta-theory of language, which he called "rhetoric." Denied the resources and material rewards of academia, Burke was both scapegoated and redeemed by the academic community. Furthermore, the…

This paper examines the negative stereotypes so long foisted on witty women and the move of contemporary witty women writers into a comic vision beyond the imposed connection of female wit to sly cleverness and witchcraft. To illustrate how the woman writer had to cope with a prejudice against and a fear of her wit, the paper considers three…

This paper profiles representative Afro-Brazilian writers and provides a guide to English language translations and critical studies of their work. The aim is to encourage instructors to broaden the scope of current curricula in black and Latin American studies courses. Recent studies estimate that more than 40 percent of Brazil's inhabitants are…

Includes literary analysis of several works of major Russian writers. (HK)