1. Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston

2. Actually lived in Eatonville, FL, as a child First all-black incorporated town in the US Her dad (John) served several terms as mayor Studied at Howard University Published in literary magazine Significant figure in the Harlem Renaissance

3. Harlem Renaissance Generally, from the end of WW1 through the middle of 1930’s depression Talented young African-American writers produced a sizable body of literature in the four prominent genres of poetry, fiction, drama, and essay W. E. B. DuBois introduced the notion of “two-ness”: a divided awareness of one’s identity “One ever feels his two-ness – an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled stirrings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.”

4. Common themes of the Harlem Renaissance writers Alienation Marginality Use of folk material Use of the blues tradition More than just a literary movement Included racial consciousness “back to Africa” movement, led by Marcus Garvey Racial integration Explosion of music, particularly jazz, spirituals, and blues Painting Dramatic revues

5. Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Wallace Thurman organized the journal Fire!, considered one of the defining publications of the era Hurston studied anthropology at Barnard College Her writing was influenced by her anthropological research on rural black folklore

6. Hurston refused to “honor” gender conventions Her behavior sometimes seemed shocking Fell into obscurity for a number of years By late 1940’s she was having trouble getting published By 1950’s she was working as a maid In the late 1950’s she suffered a stroke and entered a rest home in Florida Died penniless in 1960 and was buried in an unmarked grave

7. 7 Feminist Issues in Their Eyes Their Eyes Were Watching God is considered the first modern feminist text by an African-American. Their Eyes Are Watching God describes Janie’s search to find her identity and voice apart from her three husbands. Janie leaves her first husband in search of a more fulfilling relationships. Janie finds her voice through her femininity and through her community. Janie chooses to work outside the home to find purpose outside of domestic life.

8. Dialect makes the story come to life and makes the characters real Initial and final consonants are frequently dropped. “You” becomes “yuh,” occasionally “y’all,” a plural. “I” is invariably “Ah.” Vowel shifts also occur often. For example, “get” becomes “git.” The final “r” is “ah.” A double negative such as “Nobody don’t know” gives emphasis.. A final “th” is spoken as “f,” and although the final “r” is softened in some words, it is added to others. In addition to patterns of dialect, Janie and her friends speak a language rich in a vocabulary of localisms and folklore references.

9. Hater Gonna Hate Sterling Brown: It does not “depict the harsher side of black life in the South” Richard Wright: It “carries no theme, no message, no thought,” but is like a minstrel show. Benjamin Brawley: “Her interest... Is not in solving problems, the chief concern being with individuals.”

11. Major Characters Janie Dreams of love and wonders whether love will come with marriage Nanny Born into slavery on a plantation, she bears Leafy. Nanny dotes on her grandchild, Janie Mrs. Washburn Nanny’s employer and benefactor Logan Killicks Janie’s first husband Joe Starks Janie’s second husband and the mayor of Eatonville Vergible “Tea Cake” Woods Janie’s third husband Pheoby Watson Janie’s best friend and confidante She can be trusted to listen to Janie’s story

12. Frame Structure The novel begins and ends with two people, Janie and Pheoby, sitting on the porch of Janie’s house Janie begins with what has happened in the years since she left Eatonville and memories of her childhood Story proceeds chronologically Narration is not first- person Hurston uses third- person point of view Frame gives Janie a voice in the novel Lets Hurston show her gaining strength and independence

13. Four Units to the Framework Reader’s learn Nanny’s story; Janie’s loss of childhood after she marries Logan Killicks Janie’s years with Joe Starks *Happiness and dissatisfaction *Suffering from possessive love *Janie fosters her strength and autonomy Janie’s marriage to Tea Cake *True freedom and Independence *True happiness Janie’s childhood and adolescent years with Nanny *details Nanny’s wish that Janie Has a better life *emphasizes Nanny’s protective love *explores Janie’s feelings about love

14. Themes Speech and silence Includes both high literary narration and idiomatic discourse As Henry Louis Gates Jr. writes in the afterword to most modern editions of the book, Their Eyes Were Watching God is primarily concerned “with the project of finding a voice, with language as an instrument of injury and salvation, of selfhood and empowerment.” Power and conquest as a means to fulfillment Love and relationships v. independence

15. Motifs Community Presented in both positive and negative lights Race and racism Not at all a central theme, but issues of race are present Folklore quality of religion God is not a single entity, but a diffuse force Organized religion never appears

16. Symbols Hair The pear tree and the horizon The hurricane