The Romantic Spirit of the Harlem Renaissance: Concluding
Thoughts
Although in these articles, I focused on just a few elements of
the Harlem Renaissance that I learned from my research, there is
so much more to be discovered about this intense, vibrant period
in American history. As I stated in my introduction, I knew very
little about the Harlem Renaissance before beginning this quest,
and there is much that I learned that was not included in these
articles, e.g. the historical and social context that led to the
Harlem Renaissance (increased number of lynchings and race
riots, tightening of restrictions placed on blacks, the
psychological effects of World War I on African Americans,
etc.). Besides the people mentioned in these articles, I learned
quite a bit about many other participants in the Harlem
Renaissance who contributed greatly to the movement. Because of
the limits of these articles, I had to neglect many of the
people, white and black, who supported the Harlem artists, with
encouragement, subsidies, or living expenses. But these patrons,
such as Charlotte Mason, played an important role in the Harlem
Renaissance also and should not be buried in obscurity anymore
than the artists. I have endeavored to give others an overview
of the Harlem Renaissance in hopes to pique their interest as
mine was. It is up to us to keep these artists from sinking into
oblivion again as many of them did at one time.
Let us not fail them.
It is an old platitude that the more one learns, the less one
knows. This is undoubtedly true. I have learned quite a bit
about the Harlem Renaissance, but through this research, I see
that there is so much more that I do not know about it. This is
not an end to my quest; I am now even more intrigued with this
period of literary history. The artists that I have discussed
are the ones that most interested me; therefore I plan to
continue this discovery of the Harlem Renaissance by beginning
with studying the works of those eight artists. I am
particularly drawn to Zora Neale Hurston, so her novels and
essays will be the first that I explore. I am also especially
interested in Langston Hughes' and Wallace Thurman's works, but
I hope to examine many others also, particularly Jessie Fauset,
Nella Larsen, James Weldon Johnson, and Jean Toomer.
The primary issue that my research has interested me most is the
theme of 'passing' and transgressing boundaries. This concept is
not limited to people transgressing racial barriers, but could
also be applied to social, economic, and gendered boundaries.
Thus the issue takes on a broader context, one worth exploring
in more detail. Why do people attempt to oppose boundaries, and
what are the consequences if they do?