'Claude Mckay And Langston Hughes: A Comparative Study'

This thesis, as its title states, “Claude McKay and Langston Hughes: A Comparative Study” is based upon comparative literature. Comparative literature is concerned with relations between writers of the same nationality as well as those of different nationalities. Furthermore, it seeks to evaluate a work by comparing it with other works of a similar nature, either in one’s own language or in other languages. Meanwhile, comparative literature can be defined as the study of literature “which uses comparison as its main instrument” (Prawer 2). Moreover, one should shed light upon the two essential approaches of comparative literature, namely the French school and the American school. The scholars of the French school defined comparative

Remak, One of the founders of the American school, states that the French school is considered a historical approach instead of being an aesthetic one. In his essay, “French and American schools of Comparative literature,” Remak “summarized the debate as the combat between “literary history” and “literary critique” (Cao 27). He found fault with the French scholars who depend only upon the factual evidence. Moreover, he believed that the basic prop of a good literary study is the literary work itself since the reasonable academic research is the one which is based upon the value and the quality of the work of art not the one that focuses upon facts, causality, evidence, and origins. Therefore, the American school stresses that the work of art should be viewed, evaluated from a critical perspective not from a historical one. Thus, while the French school was distinguished by its historical studies, the American one was characterized by its parallel and analogy literary

However, they have different philosophies toward their social and racial problems. McKay’s rejection of his blackness urged him to follow the traditional style and form of the English romantic poets. On the other hand, Hughes’s acceptance of his black roots motivated him to be the spokesman of his persecuted race. So, McKay had the aspiration of being a universal poet not a black poet—a matter which Hughes himself strongly criticized. In his famous article “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”, Hughes found fault with those black poets who aspire to universality for it implies their subconscious desire to give up their blackness and their heritage as well. Hughes stated that the black artist who says:Thus, Hughes undertook a sharp criticism for those black poets who adopt the traditional European literary style in their writings instead of employing a literature that would reflect the suffering and the expressions of their black folk. Hughes believes that when a black artist follows the European model of writing, it reveals his subconscious desire to be white. According to Hughes’ point of view, poetry is an inseparable production from his existence as a black man. Furthermore, Hughes thought that the black poets should not depend upon the works of Shakespeare, Shelley, Wordsworth, Whitman, or Keats in order to provide them with inspiration, universality and fame.