In the following essay excerpt, Baker asserts that with Cane, Toomer transcended black Ameri-
can literature of the 1920s to present a "thorough delineation of the black situation. "
William Stanley Braithwaite's "The Negro in American Literature," concludes with the rhapsodic assertion that "Cane is a book of gold and bronze, of dusk and flame, of ecstasy and pain, and Jean Toomer is a bright morning star of a new day of the race in literature." Written in 1924, Braithwaite's statement reflects the energy and excess, the vibrancy and hope of a generation of young black authors who set out in the 1920s to express their "individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame." They were wooed by white patrons; they had their work modified beyond recognition by theatrical producers, and they were told time and again.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 5,507 words. This
study guide contains 35,380 words (approx. 118 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our Cane Access Pass.
