This term paper examines how Morrison exposes the category of "race" to be mere biological fiction but still serves to structure people's expectations towards eachother in everyday interactions. the main questions tackled in the term paper will be the following: What is the understanding of the term race as presented by Morrison in “Recitatif”? What are the interrelations of race and gender with regard to Afro-American women? What are the social facts surrounding certain attributes of “race”?
At a glance
- Grade: 1.0 (1.0 is the best grade)
- Close reading of racial ambiguity in Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif”
- Examines Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s account of subaltern representation
- Uses David Shirley Goldstein’s framing model to interpret narrative and cultural memory
- 18 sources in the bibliography
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1. Race as a Classificatory Category in Science
1.2. Gender in Scientific Discourse
2. Representation of Non-Mainstream Racial Identity
3. Gender in “Recitatif”
4. Social Fact, Biological Fiction – Race in “Recitatif”
5. Summary, Conclusion and Outlook
Objectives and Themes
This paper examines how Toni Morrison’s short story “Recitatif” presents race and, to a lesser extent, gender. It asks how the story understands race, how race and gender intersect for African American women, and what social realities surround attributes associated with race.
- Race as a scientific category and social construct
- Gender, race and the experiences of African American women
- Marginalized voices and racial representation
- Racial ambiguity and stereotypes in “Recitatif”
- Memory, narrative and African American oral traditions
Excerpt from the Book
Social Fact, Biological Fiction – Race in “Recitatif”
Contrary to this assumption the form of her legs might also be regarded as forming a zero pointing towards her extremely marginalized position: She is old, female, (most probably) colored, malformed and mute.
For a deeper understanding of the entire concept underlying “Recitatif” I would like to take a look at the meaning of the title and from there on progress to the topoi connected to it.
“Recitatif” is the (slightly simplified for the accute accent on the “e” is missing) French word for “recitative” which was derived from Italian “recitare”, to recite. The term refers to a vocal style of the opera developed around 1600 which is in-between singing and speaking and is used to declaim text with relative rhythmical freedom.
Morrison might have picked the term because opera is a genre that is European/Caucasian originated and associated with high culture not available to mostly poverty stricken Afro-Americans in the development of which they had no part. Also, “declaiming” triggers associations of orality and more or less automatic and monotonous recital of passages of text learned by heart which might be Morrison’s way of pointing out how notions of biological race might be outdated in the academic world of the written word but still be significant in oral everyday life by influencing social interaction.
Word and song also played an important role for the Afro-Americans in times of slavery. Song and Music had been an important part of African community life since time immemorial and as virtually all other cultural practices of their place of origin were taken away from them singing was the only solace that they were left with. The musical language that evolved from this may be considered the essence of many African vocal traditions. One of these traditions Morrison makes use of is the one of oral storytelling involving a narrator and a listener. Twyla is the one narrating the story, it is her recitative we are witnessing, the most central parts of it being delivered by Roberta and being centered around Maggie and what happened to her. Twyla supplies the framing narrative/meta narrative and Roberta presents the framed narrative by bringing up Maggie and what happened to her as a topic again.
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: The author sets out the research questions and introduces debates about race as a classificatory category and gender as a social and cultural concept.
2. Representation of Non-Mainstream Racial Identity: This chapter discusses marginalized voices, language and African American representation, drawing on postcolonial theory and the history of Black cultural movements.
3. Gender in “Recitatif”: The author considers the story’s predominantly female cast and the differing social pressures that race and gender place on women.
4. Social Fact, Biological Fiction – Race in “Recitatif”: A close reading traces racial stereotypes through Twyla and Roberta’s encounters and considers Maggie, oral storytelling and cultural memory.
5. Summary, Conclusion and Outlook: The final chapter reflects on the continuing social consequences of racial classification and suggests further questions about American literature and national identity.
Keywords
Toni Morrison, Recitatif, race, gender, racial ambiguity, social construction, racial stereotypes, African American literature, postcolonial theory, representation, cultural memory, oral storytelling
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this paper about?
It analyzes representations of race and gender in Toni Morrison’s short story “Recitatif.”
What are its central themes?
The paper explores racial classification, stereotypes, gender, marginalized representation, memory and storytelling.
What is the main research question?
The author asks how “Recitatif” presents race, alongside questions about the intersection of race and gender and the social realities associated with racial attributes.
What method does the author use?
The paper combines a close reading of the short story with discussion of literary scholarship and theories of race, gender and representation.
What does the main analysis cover?
It examines the characters’ encounters, racial coding, social class, school desegregation, Maggie’s role and the story’s narrative structure.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include racial ambiguity, social construction, gender, African American literature, representation and cultural memory.
Why are Twyla and Roberta important to the analysis?
Their racial identities are not explicitly identified, allowing the author to explore how readers may apply racial assumptions to their experiences and descriptions.
How does the paper interpret the title “Recitatif”?
It relates the title to recitative, oral storytelling and the interaction between Twyla’s narration and Roberta’s account of Maggie.
What role does Maggie play in the discussion?
The author examines Maggie as a marginalized character through whom the story raises questions about memory, representation and voice.
- Quote paper
- Stefan Löchle (Author), 2008, Social Fact, Biological Fiction: The Deconstruction of Race in Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif”, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/133448
