Gates, Canon, and the Norton Anthology

This video is a February 27, 1997 interview of Henry Louis Gates Jr., Nellie McKay, and Jamaica Kincaid. As discussed in class and noted in AIT, Gates and McKay are co-editors of the Norton Anthology of African-American Literature. Kincaid is an African-American author whom is included in the anthology.

This interview was taken shortly after the Norton Anthology was released. I found it interesting to hear Gates and McKay talk about the process of creating the work. When asked how they decided which writers to include, they note that the African-American literary tradition is still quite young and that many of those who are most adept are still alive. But still most of the choices were easier to make. Many of the relevant works had already been incorporated into other anthologies – it was just a matter of locating and compiling them. Gates and McKay are aware that they have effectively defined the African American canon with the anthology.

Another interesting topic that arises in the interview pertains to the exclusivity of the African American canon. Some writers wanted to be excluded because they feared being labeled as an African American writer only. Gates and McKay assert that this is not the case and to be considered and African American writer and an American writer are not mutually exclusive.