Writing Race and the Difference It Makes by Henry Louis Gates Jr. - Summary
This post contains a summary of sections 1-5 out of 6. 1 Race has had no or very little bearing on the course of literary theory in 20 th century. The literary canon is now considered to contain works which reflect on the general human condition and not particular groups. This has not always been so: in the 19 th century literary theory was interested in historical perspectives in literature. Literature was interpreted according to the period in which and the people by whom it was written. Race was important in criticism. It was considered to be the origins of man, the truths, ideas and ideals held by the author as part of the race. These were expressed implicitly and explicitly in the work. Race spans the history of the race and subsequent connected elements resulting from this long history. Texts were considered important which elevated the historical/racial element. Blacks and whites in America, for instance were seen as irreconcilably different. Even though in