美国文学史及选读chapter-25toni-Alice课件.ppt

1、Toni Morrison(1931-)Winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature Im interested in survival-who survives and who does not,and why-and I would like to chart a course that suggests where the dangers are and where the safety might be.-Toni MorrisonvShe was born in Northern Ohio,his grandfather was a sla

2、ve during the Civil War and never trusted the white people;his father worked on three jobs at the same time to support his family.Morrison grew up with a strong sense of her racial identity and carries strong sense her black heritage.vShe was educated at Howard university and Cornell university.In 1

3、953,received B.A.at Howard University;In 1955,received M.A.at Cornell University.vShe began writing in the early 1960s and published her first novel,The Bluest Eye in 1970.Morrison is an Award-winning writer.vThe many literary awards include the national book award,the national book critics circle a

4、ward,the Pulitzer Prize,and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.vShe is an international celebrity.vThe Bluest Eye 1970vSula 1970vSong of Solomon 1977vTar Baby 1981vBeloved 1987vJazz 1992vParadise 1998最蓝的眼睛最蓝的眼睛秀拉秀拉所罗门之歌所罗门之歌柏油娃娃柏油娃娃爵士乐爵士乐乐园乐园宠儿宠儿vSense of Loss vRoots,Community,and Identity vAnce

5、stors vExtreme Situations vShe wrote about the black people,for the black people and to the black readership(talking to the tribe).vHer works aims to empower the black people to act for themselves,to recognize their own world,their own history,and their own identity.vMorrison wants her prose to recr

6、eate black speech,to restore the language that black people spoke to its original power;vAs for her style,she is not restricted to the social realism,she applies black myths and legends in her stories,and uses symbolism to reveal the racial problems in American society.vSo her works carry a sense of

7、 magic and supernatural power.vPublished in 1977vThe third novel which show her mature in style and established her place in contemporary American literature.The Deads:Macon Dead Macon Dead II&Ruth PilateMacon Dead III(Milkman)Reba Hagar v v Song of SolomonPlease read the plot of Song of Solomon at

8、page 542,and then form a general picture of this novel.vTheme of Flight vTheme of maturing Alice Walker(1944-)A feminist black writerThe black woman struggling towards self-realization in a hostile environment is a theme in much of her work.Alice Walker(1944-)Brief introduction:Her works have attrac

9、ted the attention of readers and critic alike.She was born into a sharecroppers family in Eaton,Georgia.She began writing in college and published her first works-poems as well as storiesin 1965.Alice Walker(1944-)Later she received fellowships in support of her writing career.She has,by virtue of t

10、he great amount of fiction,poetry,and essays she has written over the years,made herself a central figure in contemporary American literature.The Color Purple(1982)紫颜色紫颜色The American Book Award;The Pulitzer PrizeAn epistolary NovelA great book both in thematic and formal termsCelie the female protag

11、onistNettie Celies SisterFonso Celies stepfatherAlbert(Mr.)Celies HusbandShug Avery Alberts lover and Celies spirit guiderAdam and Olivia Celies son and daughter Alice Walker(1944-)Masterpiece:The Color Purple is an epistolary novel.It consists of 90 letters,of which over two thirds（61 in number),Ce

12、lie wrote to god,14 to her sister Nettie,and 15 Nettie wrote to Celie.The story centers on Celies life,with Netties African adventure as complementary.It is a great book both in thematic and formal terms.Thematically:P547-5481.African American womens growth against the backdrop of social and familia

13、l oppression2.Black mens change and growth as wellIn formal terms:p5491.The narrative scheme and the suspense2.The language3.The symbolism:the color purple The title is pregnant with meaning.The color purple indicates dignity,love,human fellowship and surviving whole as well as suffering and pain(if

14、 we think of the color as that of an eggplant,a combination of blue and red).It represents Gods creation,common humanity,significant and not to be ignored.Altogether The Color Purple is a very important work in American literary history.Alice Walkers The Color Purple is an example of a womans novel.

15、This means not just that it was written by a woman,but that it carries on an identified tradition of womens writing,in terms of narrative strategies,themes addressed,and voice.“You better not never tell nobody but god.Itd kill your mammy”(page 1)“But I Dont know how to fight.All I know how to do is

16、stay alive.(page 18)Well,us talk and talk bout God,but Im still adrift.Trying to chase that old white man out of my head,I been so busy thinking bout him I never truly notice nothing god make Man corrupt everything,say Shug.He on your box of grits,in your head,and all over the radio.He try to make y

17、ou think he everywhere.Soon as you think he everywhere,you think he God.But he aint.Whenever you trying to pray,and plop himself on the other end of it,tell him git lost,say Shug.Conjure up flowers,wind,water,a big rock.But this hard work,let me tell you.He been there so long,he dont want to budge.H

18、e threaten lightening,floods and earthquakes.Us fight.I hardly pray at all.Every time I conjure up a rock,I throw it.Amen.(page 204)I curse you,I say.What that mean?He say.I say,Until you do me right by me,everything you touch will crumble.He laugh.Who you think you is?He say.You cant curse nobody.L

19、ook at you.You black.You pore,you ugly,you a woman.God dam,he say,you nothing at all Im pore,Im black,I may be ugly and cant cook,a voice say too everything listening.But Im here.Amen,say Shug.Amen,amen.(pages 213-214)Eventually,Celie stops thinking of God as she stops thinking of the other men in h

20、er lifeshe“git man off her eyeball”and tells God off,writing,“You must be sleep.”But after Celie has chased her patriarchal God away and come up with a new concept of God,she writes in her last letter,“Dear God.Dear stars,dear trees,dear sky,dear people.Dear Everything.Dear God.”(page 293)This reimagining of God on her own terms symbolizes Celies move from an object of someone elses care to an independent woman.