Cane: the American Adam rekindled

<i>Cane</i> is already recognized as the most significant landmark of the Harlem Renaissance, and as one of the first major contributions to black literature. However, critics have neglected to address its similarities to nineteenth-century American literature, and specifically how it continues a celebrated tradition dedicated to penetrating considerations of American identity. This study attempts to re-focus the critical perspective to illustrate that <i>Cane</i> deserves recognition as a major work of <u>American</u> literature because it calls for an Adamic personality to combat the complexities of the enigmatic American scene. Moreover, the study suggests that <i>Cane</i> belongs among those famous American writings by Emerson, Hawthorne, Whitman, Twain, and Melville because it too investigates the tensions between individuality and social continuity that are so important to an ongoing American dialectic. Finally, the study explains that <i>Cane</i> is in fact worthy of acceptance into the exclusive forum of American writings because ( in Roger Rosenblatt's words) it “is not conceived of in terms of what an individual human being may strive to overcome or accomplish, but rather in terms of where that individual may be spiritually and culturally located.”

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English

Department dc:contributor.department

English

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Year dc:date.issued

1986

Author dc:creator

• Steinbach, Bernhard

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10919/101152

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/101152