The Foremother Figure in Early Black Women's Literature

Originally published in 1999 The Foremother Figure in Early Black Women's Literature looks at how stereotypical foremother figure exists in nineteenth century American literature. The book argues that older black woman portrayed in early black womens works differs significantly from the older black women portrayed in early white womens works. The foremother figure, then emerging in early black womens fiction revises the stereotypical mother figure in early white womens fiction. In the context of the mulatta heroine the foremother produces minimal language that, through an Afrocentric rhetoric, distinguishes her from the stereotypical mother and thus links her peripheral role and unusual behaviour to cultural continuity and radical uplift.