Cane

Cane 

• Genre: Fiction; poetry; drama; modernist literature 
• Originally Published: 1923 
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile HL660L; college/adult 
• Structure/Length: 3 parts; 29 chapters that represent short stories, poems, or drama in a hybrid collection; approximately 144 pages; approximately 5 hours, 17 minutes on audiobook 
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: Cane does not have a single protagonist but is a composite portrait of African American life in the early 20th century, particularly in the rural South and urban North. It explores themes of race, identity, and the search for meaning amidst the complexities of American society. 
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Racism; prejudice; discrimination; racial tension and violence; exploration of sexuality; depiction of the Black American experience during the Harlem Renaissance, with language and scenarios reflective of that era; graphic imagery; use of words considered to be racial slurs including frequent use of the n-word; profanity; graphic descriptions of lynching, femicide, and infanticide

Jean Toomer, Author 

• Bio: Born in 1894; died in 1967; American poet and novelist associated with the Harlem Renaissance; explored racial identity; known for innovative use of structure and form and lyrical intensity 
• Other Works: Spiritual writings and unpublished manuscripts

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Modernism and Black Women’s Bodies
• The Mind/Body/Soul Relationship
• Harlem Renaissance and Other Cultural Aesthetics

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the historical and literary contexts related to African American literature produced during the Harlem Renaissance, which connects with Cane’s prevalence as an important work during this literary movement.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Modernism and Black Women’s Bodies, The Mind/Body/Soul Relationship, and Harlem Renaissance and Other Cultural Aesthetics.
• Research and draft a presentation on the “male gaze” in Toomer’s chapters with female protagonists, demonstrating an understanding of gender relations in literature produced during the Harlem Renaissance, based on outside research and text details.
• Analyze and evaluate text elements to draw conclusions in structured essays regarding Modernist themes, use of perspective, and other topics.