The Cambridge Introduction to Zora Neale Hurston (Cambridge Introductions to Literature)

Their Eyes Were Watching God is a key text in African American literature. Its author Zora Neale Hurston has become an iconic figure for her literary works and for her invaluable contribution to documenting elements of black folk culture in the rural south and in the Caribbean. This introductory book designed for students explores Hurston's artistic achievements and her unique character: her staunch individualism, her penchant for drama, her sometimes controversial politics, her philosophical influences and her views on gender relations. Lovalerie King explores Hurston's life and analyses her major works and short stories. Historical, social, political, and cultural contexts for Hurston's life and work, including her key role in the development of the Harlem Renaissance, are set out. The book concludes with an overview of the reception of Hurston's work, both in her lifetime and up to the present, as well as suggestions for further reading.;Life -- Contexts -- Works -- Critical reception. Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 9 Preface 11 Acknowledgments 14 Abbreviations 15 Chapter 1 Life 17 Notes 28 Chapter 2 Contexts 30 Notes 50 Chapter 3 Works 52 Jonah’s Gourd Vine (1934; a novel) 52 Time period and setting 52 Major characters 53 The surface story 56 Analysis 60 Mules and Men (1935) 63 Time period and setting 63 Major characters 64 Format and contents 64 Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) 68 Time period and setting 68 Major characters 68 The surface narrative 70 Analysis 73 Tell My Horse (1938) 77 Time period and setting 77 Characters 77 Format and contents 78 Moses, Man of the Mountain (1939) 84 Time period and setting 84 Major characters 84 The surface story 86 Analysis 88 Dust Tracks on a Road (1942) 90 Time period and setting 90 Major characters 90 The surface story 90 Analysis 100 Seraph on the Suwanee (1948) 103 Time period and setting 103 Major characters 104 The surface story 106 Analysis 109 Short stories 112 Notes 119 Chapter 4 Critical reception 121 Jonah’s Gourd Vine (1934) 123 Mules and Men (1935) 126 Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) 128 Tell My Horse (1938) 130 Moses, Man of the Mountain (1939) 132 Dust Tracks on a Road (1942) 134 Seraph on the Suwanee (1948) 136 Notes 139 Suggestions for further reading 142 Index 146 An overview of the life, work, contexts and reception of the author of Their Eyes Were Watching God Lovalerie King. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 126-129) And Index.