Description

Book Synopsis
Originally published in 1984. The Sage in Harlem establishes H. L. Mencken as a catalyst for the blossoming of black literary culture in the 1920s and chronicles the intensely productive exchange of ideas between Mencken and two generations of black writers: the Old Guard who pioneered the Harlem Renaissance and the Young Wits who sought to reshape it a decade later. From his readings of unpublished letters and articles from black publications of the time, Charles Scruggs argues that black writers saw usefulness in Mencken's critique of American culture, his advocacy of literary realism, and his satire of America. They understood that realism could free them from the pernicious stereotypes that had hounded past efforts at honest portraiture, and that satire could be the means whereby the white man might be paid back in his own coin. Scruggs contends that the content of Mencken's observations, whether ludicrously narrow or dazzlingly astute, was of secondary importance to the Harlem int

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Why Mencken?
Chapter 2. Mencken and "The Colored Brother"
Chapter 3. The Age of Satire: The Teacher and His Pupils
Chapter 4. The Dream of the Secular City: Mencken Locke, and the "Little American Renaissance"
Chapter 5. Et Tu Mencken? The End of the Romance
Chapter 6. The Negro Novel and the Limits of Realism
Chapter 7. Epilogue
Notes
Index

The Sage in Harlem

    Product form

    A Paperback / softback by Charles Scruggs

    £23.85

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £26.50 – you save £2.65 (10%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Thu 22 Oct 2026.

    2 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of The Sage in Harlem by Charles Scruggs

      Book details

      Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
      Published 26 January 2020
      ISBN-13 9781421431383
      978-1421431383
      ISBN-10 1421431386
      Also in:
      Literature: history and criticism

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Originally published in 1984. The Sage in Harlem establishes H. L. Mencken as a catalyst for the blossoming of black literary culture in the 1920s and chronicles the intensely productive exchange of ideas between Mencken and two generations of black writers: the Old Guard who pioneered the Harlem Renaissance and the Young Wits who sought to reshape it a decade later. From his readings of unpublished letters and articles from black publications of the time, Charles Scruggs argues that black writers saw usefulness in Mencken's critique of American culture, his advocacy of literary realism, and his satire of America. They understood that realism could free them from the pernicious stereotypes that had hounded past efforts at honest portraiture, and that satire could be the means whereby the white man might be paid back in his own coin. Scruggs contends that the content of Mencken's observations, whether ludicrously narrow or dazzlingly astute, was of secondary importance to the Harlem int

      Table of Contents

      Acknowledgments
      Chapter 1. Why Mencken?
      Chapter 2. Mencken and "The Colored Brother"
      Chapter 3. The Age of Satire: The Teacher and His Pupils
      Chapter 4. The Dream of the Secular City: Mencken Locke, and the "Little American Renaissance"
      Chapter 5. Et Tu Mencken? The End of the Romance
      Chapter 6. The Negro Novel and the Limits of Realism
      Chapter 7. Epilogue
      Notes
      Index

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account