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SIGNS OF THE TIMES
DIALECT
Dialect poetry was a writing style popular in the 19th century that rejected the language of Standard English. Some poets, like Indiana native James Whitcomb Riley who wrote in a “Hoosier dialect,” were inspired by their own communities. Others were less authentic in their use of the device. Some popular white authors used an exaggerated Southern dialect to portray African American characters as unintelligent and morally bankrupt stereotypes.
Dunbar is considered one of the first African American poets to use Southern Black dialect in his work. His poems, unlike those of white authors, were subtly subversive. They portrayed a range of characters and rejected racist stereotypes. Some also openly condemned slavery. Although he was born in the North, he used dialect as a uniquely Black mode of speaking. However, some African Americans still found it demeaning and criticized him. In 1895, Dunbar defended his use of dialect in a letter to Frederick Douglass’s widow Helen, arguing that it was a “philological branch… [not] negro minstrelsy,” meaning that dialect was worthy of study and did not belittle African Americans. In 1897, he told a British interviewer that he enjoyed writing in this style and that it came to him instinctively. However, Dunbar also enjoyed other forms of writing too. Over time, his white audiences increasingly demanded his dialect work but also misunderstood it. He grew resentful of the cage it built around him. While he was endlessly praised for the “authenticity” of his dialect work, he rarely received similar compliments for his other work.
Below right: Musician Will Marion Cook and Paul Laurence Dunbar collaborated on several works including the musical, Clorindy: The Origin of the Cakewalk. Its popularity in 1898 made them two of the first African Americans to have a real breakthrough on Broadway. Sheet music, 1901. From the New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Below: Illustration by Edward W. Kemble from the book Lil’ Gal, by Dunbar, Held captive by their Southland heritage, Paul Laurence Dunbar and James Weldon attempted to write formal verse in Negro dialect, “the only people in the United States who had a distinctive thought experience.” Notice Dunbar’s use of the apostrophe. His poem was published several times, including in the anthology “Gems of Negro Eloquence: A Collection of Literary Gems or Thoughts From the Best Authors of the Negro Race,” compiled by F. William Patterson and Isaac Fisher. Courtesy of Theatrical Photographs, ca 1874-1947.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:m6dql2kgtr42ncb5zioofq7e/bafkreibf3gjt2uepuniq6nwmnz3he57w6tqcdyxsugrvqfrr4pjxsq25ze)
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