Not Without Laughter
Gale Notable Literature & Its History:
Top
Not without Laughter
A novel set in Kansas in the first decades of the twentieth century; published in 1930.
by Langston Hughes
Synopsis
A young boy, growing up in a poor black family, struggles to understand the conflicts within his own family as well as the conflicts between whites and blacks that divide his community and the nation.
Events in History at the Time the Novel Was Written
The Novel in Focus
Events in History at the Time the Novel Takes Place
Langston Hughes was born in 1902 in a small town in Missouri, and lived for several years with his grandmother in Kansas before joining his mother in Chicago, Illinois. Moving to New York City, Hughes enrolled at Columbia University in 1921, but was lured away from his studies by the glitter of Broadway and by the flourishing clubs in Harlem. Hughes journeyed to the thriving ports of Africa such as Dakar and Luanda to see what he referred to as the motherland of his people. Then he lived and traveled in Europe before returning to the States, where he became the most famous poet of the Harlem Renaissance. His first novel, Not without Laughter, won the Harmon Foundation Gold Award for Literature, a $400 prize awarded to outstanding black artists.
For More Information
Dickinson, Donald. A Bio-Bibliography of Langston Hughes, 1920-1960. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms, 1964.
Foner, Philip. Organized Labor and the Black Worker, 1619-1981. New York: International, 1974.
Hughes, Langston. Not without Laughter. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1969.
Hughes, Langston. The Big Sea. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1940.
Jackson, Florence. The Black Man in America, 1877-1905. New York: Franklin Watts, 1973.
Kellner, Bruce. The Harlem Renaissance: A Historical Dictionary for the Era. Westport, Conn: Green-wood, 1984.
Meshack, B. A., Is the Baptist Church Relevant to the Black Community? San Francisco: R. and E. Research Associates, 1976.
Rampersad, Arnold. The Life of Langston Hughes. 2 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986-1988.
Sernett, Milton. Afro-American Religious History. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1985.
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
Not Without Laughter
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011) |
| Not Without Laughter | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Author(s) | Langston Hughes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Publication date | 1930 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-394-43873-6 (hardback edition) |
Not Without Laughter is a novel written by Langston Hughes and published in 1930. It is Hughes' first novel, and first major work of prose.
|
Contents
|
Plot introduction
Not Without Laughter portrays African American life in the 1910s, focusing on character development rather than plot. However, The main storyline focuses on Sandy's "awakening to the sad and the beautiful realities of black life in a small Kansas town." The major intent of the novel is to portray Sandy's life as he tries to be the best he can be, aspiring to folks like W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington.
Characters in Not Without Laughter
- Sandy Rogers – the protagonist of the novel
- Jimboy – Sandy's father, generally portrayed as irresponsible
- Annjee Williams – Sandy's mother
- Aunt Hager Williams – Annjee's mother and Sandy's grandmother, a conservative Baptist
- Tempy Siles/Williams – Annjee's rich sister
- Mr. Siles – a rich man who marries Tempy
- Harriett Williams – sister of Annjee; blues singer
- Willie-Mae – friend of Sandy
Background
Hughes has said that the novel is semi-autobiographical, and that a good portion of the characters and setting included in the book are based on his memories of growing up in Lawrence, Kansas. Hughes has said about Not Without Laugher: I wanted to write about a typical Negro family in the Middle West, about people like those I had known in Kansas. But mine was not a typical Negro family.
References
- The New York Times. 3 August 1930. http://www.nytimes.com/books/01/04/22/specials/hughes-notwithout.html/.
- "Not Without Laughter". 9 August 2011. http://www.continuinged.ku.edu/hughes/files_city/laughter.html.
 |
This article about a 1930s novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
Gale Notable Literature & Its History
Literature and Its Times © 1997 Joyce Moss and George Wilson © 2007 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
Mentioned in
Mokey, Then and Now: Fraggle Rock (TV Episode)
(1987 TV Episode)
Langston Hughes
(American poet)
» More