The Harlem Renaissance initiated a cultural awakening or blossoming of music, art, and literature among the African American community. According to the Encarta Encyclopedia 2003, Zora Neale Hurston, "The American writer and folklorist, who's anthropological study of her racial heritage, at a time when black culture was not a popular field of study, had a great impact and influence on the Harlem Renaissance writers." (138) As a fiction writer, Hurston is noted for her metaphorical language, her …showed first 75 words of 858 total…

…showed last 75 words of 858 total…outstanding writer whose stories I will cherish forever. Her majestically inimitable words will linger in my mind and soul for years to come. The only problem with Zora Neale Hurston in my opinion is that she did not write enough recordings of the lives of the "Negro farthest down." (Zora Neale Hurston 78) Hurston's words can wound like razors and soothe like the gentlest touch. Her linguistic powers are nearly magical and are artfully represented." (Bernard 22)