Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumThe New Negro Movement and Cultural Debates

Read the following excerpt from the preface to Jessie Redmon Fauset's novel *The Chinaberry Tree* (1931) and answer the question that follows:

"But of the great transition class, the refining, developing, and expanding class of Negroes who live, move, and have their being in a world of their own, we hear almost nothing... It is of this class that I write."

Based on the excerpt and your knowledge of the New Negro Movement, Fauset's literary philosophy most directly aligns with which of the following positions in the cultural debates of the era?

  1. A
    The insistence that Black writers should reject Western literary genres and forms entirely to align with Marcus Garvey’s nationalist program.
  2. The belief that African American literature should focus on depicting respectable, middle-class lives to counter racial prejudice and argue for social equality.Answer
  3. C
    The argument that artistic expression must remain subordinate to obtaining vocational training and economic self-sufficiency.
  4. D
    The view that African American writers should reject US citizenship and focus exclusively on literature that advocates for emigration.

Answer

The belief that African American literature should focus on depicting respectable, middle-class lives to counter racial prejudice and argue for social equality.
The correct answer is correct because Jessie Redmon Fauset, along with other editors and writers of the older generation during the Harlem Renaissance, believed in the politics of respectability. She argued that portraying educated, refined, and moral middle-class African American characters would challenge white supremacy and demonstrate that Black Americans were deserving of equal social and political rights.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the provided excerpt to identify the author's target subjects.
The excerpt focuses on 'the great transition class, the refining, developing, and expanding class of Negroes' (the Black middle class) rather than marginalized or lower-class characters.
Understanding the author's chosen subject matter is necessary to connect it to the broader debates of the Harlem Renaissance.
2
Relate this focus to the core cultural debates of the New Negro Movement.
Fauset's focus on depicting the middle class represents the 'politics of respectability' and 'uplift' literature, which aimed to combat racial prejudice by showing the refinement of Black lives.
This aligns with the correct option that highlights the role of literature in countering stereotypes and promoting equality.

Key Concept

The New Negro Movement and Cultural Debates
Rate this question

Topics

The New Negro Movement and Cultural Debates

More questions from this topic