The Routledge Introduction to African American Literature considers the key literary‎,‎ political‎,‎ historical and intellectual contexts of African American literature from its origins to the present‎,‎ and also provides students with an analysis of the most up‎-to‎-date literary trends and debates in African American literature‎.‎ This accessible and engaging guide covers a variety of essential topics such as‎:‎ * Vernacular‎,‎ Oral‎,‎ and Blues Traditions in Literature * Slave Narratives and Their Influence * The Harlem Renaissance * Mid‎-twentieth century black American Literature * Literature of the civil rights and Black Power era * Contemporary African American Writing * Key thematic and theoretical debates within the field Examining the relationship between the literature and its historical and sociopolitical contexts‎,‎ D‎.‎ Quentin Miller covers key authors and works as well as less canonical writers and themes‎,‎ including literature and music‎,‎ female authors‎,‎ intersectionality and transnational black writing‎.‎