Nora Zeale Hurston’s novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" can be considered “one of the sexiest, most ‘healthily’ rendered heterosexual love stories in our literature” (Walker, “Zora
Neale Hurston” 88). This paper provides information about the outer contexts of the novel, as well as inductive analyses of the novel. The first part of the paper (Ch. 2-5) reveals information
about the author and the historical and literary context of the time in which Hurston’s novel was published. The second part of the paper (Ch. 6-7) starts off with an analysis of the plot and
characters of Their Eyes Were Watching God, and then focuses on the theme of Otherness as it occurs in Huston’s novel. The examinations of the concept of “Otherness”, alongside with other
terms such as “Dichotomization” and “Stigma”, will be based on the concepts that Rosenblum and Travis describe in their work The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race,
Sex and Gender, Social Class and Sexual Orientation.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Biographical Data about Zora Neale Hurston – Novelist, Folklorist, Anthropologist
- The Historical and Literary Context: Black History from 1890s till 1930s and the Emergence of the Harlem Renaissance
- Racism, Violence and Injustice against Blacks
- Black Mass Migration to the Northern Industrial Centers
- The Black Literary Movement in Hurston's Time – The Harlem Renaissance
- Zora Neale Hurston as a Woman and a Writer
- Hurston's Reputation among Contemporary Writers and Today - Reviews and Opinions
- Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God - An Analysis
- Examining “Otherness” in Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God
- Othering as Affecting Social Class
- Othering as Justifying Jim Crow Segregation
- Anger at and Contentedness with Being Other: How Mrs Turner and Janie Perceive Racism
- Janie – Deliberately Being Other and Associating with Other
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper analyzes Zora Neale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," exploring its historical and literary context, as well as the theme of "Otherness." The paper aims to provide insight into the author's life and work, the societal and cultural landscape surrounding the novel's publication, and the complexities of race, gender, and social class as depicted by Hurston. Key themes and objectives of the paper include:- Exploring the biographical context of Zora Neale Hurston, highlighting her role in the Harlem Renaissance and her contributions to anthropology and folklore.
- Analyzing the historical and literary context of Hurston's novel, examining the impact of racism, the Great Migration, and the Black literary movement on her work.
- Examining the concept of "Otherness" in "Their Eyes Were Watching God," focusing on how it manifests in terms of social class, Jim Crow segregation, and individual perspectives on racism.
- Analyzing the character of Janie Crawford, highlighting her journey of self-discovery and her complex relationship with her identity and belonging.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
This section focuses on the main themes and arguments of each chapter in Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God." * **Introduction**: This section introduces the paper's focus, outlining the analysis of the novel's outer contexts and the concept of Otherness. * **Biographical Data about Zora Neale Hurston – Novelist, Folklorist, Anthropologist**: This chapter provides biographical information about Hurston, highlighting her diverse career as a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist. It emphasizes her role in the Harlem Renaissance and her work documenting African American folklore. * **The Historical and Literary Context**: This chapter delves into the historical and literary context surrounding the novel, exploring issues such as racism, the Great Migration, and the rise of the Black literary movement. * **Zora Neale Hurston as a Woman and a Writer**: This chapter further explores Hurston's life and career, analyzing her unique perspective as a woman and a writer, highlighting her contributions to African American literature. * **Hurston's Reputation Among Contemporary Writers and Today - Reviews and Opinions**: This chapter examines Hurston's reception by contemporary writers and critics, exploring different viewpoints and analyses of her work. * **Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God - An Analysis**: This chapter provides an initial analysis of the plot and characters of "Their Eyes Were Watching God," providing a basic understanding of the novel's narrative. * **Examining “Otherness” in Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God**: This chapter delves into the central theme of Otherness, analyzing how it is depicted in the novel through various social contexts, including class, segregation, and individual perceptions.Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper explores the themes of race, gender, and social class within the context of African American literature and the Harlem Renaissance. Key terms and concepts central to this analysis include:- Otherness
- Harlem Renaissance
- Jim Crow
- Black Folklore
- African American Literature
- Identity
- Social Class
- Racism
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- Christina Gieseler (Author), 2007, Zora Neale Hurston and "Their Eyes Were Watching God", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/148730
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