Question

How did Jean Toomer's Cane set the tone for the Harlem Renaissance?

Answer 1

The Harlem Renaissance, also known as the "New Black Movement" happened in the 20's. Many of the ideas that emerged during this movement have lived along the years. It is undeniable that the Harlem Renaissance left quiet a legacy of African American art, music, dance, philosophy, poetry and others.

Jean Toomer (1894 - 1967) was a poet, playwright and novelist born in Washington D.C.

As a young student, he attended segregated schools (all-white and all-black) and, since then, always refused being classified by race or skin color.

In 1922, living in Sparta, GA and working as a school principal, he began writing about the African American experience and in 1923 he published his most famous novel, Cane.

Cane was celebrated by black and white critics and it is considered important to the Harlem Renaissance due to Toomer's immersion in the black experience in southern farmland.

Answer 2

Jean Toomer was an African-American poet and novelist commonly associated with the Harlem Renaissance, although he actively resisted association and modernism. His first book, Cane, published in 1923, is considered by many to be the most significant.

African-Americans used art to prove their humanity and demand equality. The Harlem Renaissance resulted in more opportunities for blacks to be published by the main houses. Many authors began to publish novels, magazines and newspapers during this time. The new fiction attracted a great deal of attention from the nation in general. Among the authors who became known nationally were Jean Toomer, Jessie Fauset, Claude McKay, among others