The Harlem Renaissance, an African American cultural movement of the 1920s and early 1930s, also refered to as New Negro Renaissance, marked the first time that black literature and arts were seriously recognized by American publishers, critics and intellectuals. Participants in the movement attempted to refute the negative racist stereotypes of black life deeply imbedded in white popular as well as high culture. In a time when many black middle class intellectuals shamefully distanced themselves from their cultural heritage, artists of the Harlem Renaissance showed a strong sense of racial pride in exploring the African and Southern roots of black experience and experimenting with elements of traditional African American folk culture in different genres.
One of the most significant figures emerging from this literary period was the anthropologist and fiction writer Zora Neale Hurston. After her college education, she engaged in extensive anthropological field research on rural black tradition in her all-black hometown Eatonville in Florida as well as the Carribean region and published the collected tales, sermons, songs and jokes in f olklore collections, e.g. Mules and Men. As a novelist, she made use of her extensive knowledge of African American Southern rural dialect and oral culture by texualizing it in the dialogues of her fictional characters. Zora Neale Hurston was one of the first black writers to give an acurate depiction of African American humor. She demonstrated that humor is a crucial element of speech within the black community not only for establishing communal bonds through laughter but also because it plays an important role in the assertion of one’s voice. Hurston’s second and best-known novel Their Eyes Were Watching God focuses on the black woman’s place in society. The protagonist and story-teller Janie presents her quest for self-fulfillment and struggle against ve rbal oppression, over two decades and three marital relationships; as she gains experience by experimenting with
different roles, she learns how to assert her voice within the community and to humor life.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Depiction of Southern black speech and folk humor
- Janie's quest for self-fulfillment and the acquisition of an assertive female voice
- The figure of God as the ultimate joker
- The critical response to Hurston's humor
Objectives and Key Themes
This paper aims to explore the significance of speech and humor in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. It analyzes how Hurston uses language, particularly Southern Black dialect, and humor to portray the experiences of Black women in the early 20th century.
- The depiction of Southern Black speech and folk humor as a crucial element of Black community and identity.
- Janie's journey of self-discovery and the role of assertive speech in her personal growth.
- The use of humor as a tool for social commentary and resistance against oppression.
- The portrayal of God's role within the narrative context.
- The critical reception of Hurston's unique use of humor and dialect.
Chapter Summaries
Introduction: This introduction sets the stage by contextualizing Zora Neale Hurston's work within the Harlem Renaissance, highlighting her unique contribution to African American literature. It emphasizes Hurston's anthropological research and her commitment to authentically representing Black life and humor, challenging prevailing racist stereotypes. The introduction also briefly introduces the novel's central theme: Janie's quest for self-fulfillment and her struggle against verbal oppression.
Depiction of Southern black speech and folk humor: This chapter delves into Hurston's innovative use of Southern Black dialect in Their Eyes Were Watching God. It examines how Hurston challenges the pejorative view of Black English, demonstrating its linguistic richness and grammatical complexity through detailed examples. The chapter highlights the significance of the novel's narrative structure, which combines omniscient narration with Janie's first-person perspective and the vibrant dialogues in Black dialect. It emphasizes the role of porch talk as a performative space where Black individuals asserted their voices and built communal bonds through storytelling and humor, showcasing the importance of skilled verbal performance for social standing and cultural empowerment within the community.
Keywords
Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Harlem Renaissance, Southern Black dialect, Black Vernacular English, humor, speech, female voice, self-fulfillment, oral tradition, folklore, racial identity, social commentary, verbal performance.
Frequently Asked Questions: Their Eyes Were Watching God - A Language Analysis
What is the purpose of this document?
This document provides a comprehensive language preview of an academic paper analyzing Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. It includes the table of contents, objectives and key themes, chapter summaries, and keywords. The preview is designed for academic use, enabling researchers to understand the paper's scope and focus.
What are the main themes explored in the paper?
The paper explores the significance of speech and humor in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Key themes include the depiction of Southern Black speech and folk humor as vital elements of Black community and identity; Janie's journey of self-discovery and the role of assertive speech in her personal growth; humor as a tool for social commentary and resistance; God's portrayal within the narrative; and the critical reception of Hurston's unique use of humor and dialect.
What aspects of language are analyzed in the paper?
The analysis focuses on Zora Neale Hurston's innovative use of Southern Black dialect, examining its linguistic richness and grammatical complexity. It explores how the dialect contributes to character development, plot progression, and the overall thematic concerns of the novel. The role of oral tradition, storytelling, and verbal performance in shaping Black community and identity is also a central focus.
How is Janie Crawford portrayed in the analysis?
The paper analyzes Janie's quest for self-fulfillment and the acquisition of an assertive female voice. Her journey is viewed through the lens of her use of language and her participation in the oral traditions of her community. The analysis examines how her speech reflects her personal growth and her struggle against verbal oppression.
What is the role of humor in the novel according to the paper?
The paper examines humor as a significant element in Their Eyes Were Watching God, analyzing its function as a tool for social commentary, resistance against oppression, and the creation of community bonds. The paper also considers the portrayal of God as a figure associated with humor within the narrative context.
What is the significance of the Southern Black dialect in the analysis?
The analysis challenges the pejorative view of Black English, highlighting its linguistic richness and complexity. It explores how Hurston's use of dialect contributes to the authenticity and power of the narrative, showcasing its role in representing Black life and culture.
What does the paper say about the critical reception of Hurston's work?
The paper addresses the critical response to Hurston's unique use of humor and dialect, examining how her work has been received and interpreted throughout literary history. It acknowledges the evolution of critical perspectives on her writing and its significance within the context of the Harlem Renaissance and beyond.
What are the keywords associated with this paper?
Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Harlem Renaissance, Southern Black dialect, Black Vernacular English, humor, speech, female voice, self-fulfillment, oral tradition, folklore, racial identity, social commentary, verbal performance.
- Quote paper
- Natalie Lewis (Author), 2003, The Importance of Speech and Humor in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/23875
