Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Bonner, Marita, --1898-1971; Bonner, Marita, --1898-1971; African American women authors; Harlem Renaissance; Academic theses;

Abstract

Lorraine Elena Roses and Ruth Elizabeth Randolph, with their publication, Harlem Renaissance And Beyond: Literary Biographies of 100 Black Women Writers 1900-1945, embarked on a mission to bring to the forefront of literary scholarship black women who wrote significant works in the early twentieth century, but who have received little or no recognition. Although their research does not provide a comprehensive account on the lives and works of these women, they offer very pertinent information, which "broaden[s] the fields of scholarly inquiry while opening up the possibility of a revised history and tradition in black, women's and American literature." Their research creates opportunities for other scholars to take the investigation a step further. I began this project, just as Roses and Randolph, with the desire not only to familiarize myself with the many women-writers, poets, singer, artists, and activists-who participated in the New Negro Movement but to expose others to these women who we have not heard much about in literary discourse. As my research progressed, the project became larger and larger making it impossible to include all of the information that became available. While I started this as a project to explore the works of many women, I decided to take smaller steps in my approach and work on each woman on a more personal level. My thesis will:

• Focus on the literary contributions of Marita O. Bonner and reveal how her works, her characters, plots, settings, and themes are important to the discourse of the New Negro Movement;

• Shine light on the intersections between issues of race, class, and gender through a close examination of Bonner's body of works, Frye Street and Environs: The Collected Works of Marita Bonner, which was published by her daughter in 1987;

• Explore Bonner's perception of the New Negro Movement and how it differs from the ideology of the renaissance leaders; and

• Attempt to rediscover a lesser-known black female writer who has proven herself intelligent and extraordinarily talented.

This paper will attempt to shift the focus of the New Negro Movement to the female perspective that has been almost always omitted from the discourse. I will analyze the works and literary contributions of Marita Bonner in comparison to other writer of that time in order to understand her experience as a black female writer during one of the most outstanding eras in African American history.

Year of Submission

2012

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Languages and Literatures

First Advisor

Julie Husband

Second Advisor

Pierre-Damien Mvuyekure

Third Advisor

Karen Tracey

Comments

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Date Original

2012

Object Description

1 PDF file (57 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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