According to "Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature," before the Harlem Renaissance, literature by black Americans often consisted of imitations of white authors or "quaint dialect works."
As black Americans migrated from the South to the North to fill jobs left vacant by World War I soldiers, a feeling of increased confidence, pride and solidarity among African-Americans began to take shape.
Harlem Renaissance writings reflected the new-found pride in black culture and a desire to explore the African-American experience. They often incorporated traditional elements such as folklore and spirituals, but also moved into wider literary movements such as realism and modernism.
Important figures included writer/mentor James Weldon Johnson; writer/philosopher Alain Locke; poetry anthologist Countee Cullen; Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurtson. Arna Bontemps's 1931 novel, "God Sends Sunday," is considered the last work of the Harlem Renaissance, according to "Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature."
Modern critics continue to examine Harlem Renaissance works under new lenses such as feminism and queer studies.