Re:
Toni Morrison
Listen in RealAudio as Edgar Whan, Marilyn Atlas, and Vattel (Ted) Rose discuss The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Or read the transcripts the old-fashioned way. Join the discussion here. And please listen to the Morrison question and answer session in Real Audio.
You can download a free RealPlayer here. You'll need the RealPlayer, plus a sound card and speakers to listen to the audio files.
Listen to a 1987 Toni Morrison radio interview, conducted by Don Swaim.
Readers' Comments:
So glad to
see some new comments. I'd like to get back to "freedom". Perhaps
I'm defining it improperly or have never really known true freedom. I just finished
"The Bluest Eye" and again there is a reference to freedom and love.
At the end of the book, Morrison says, "love is never any better than the
lover. Wicked people love wickedly, violent people love violently, weak people
love weakly, stupid people love stupidly. but the love of a free man is never
safe." Does that mean none of us is free? What is safe love? What does
it mean to be free? I'd like to go back to the Hurston book. At the end, Janie
is bitten by Tea Cake before she shoots him. There are references to the teeth
marks on her. Are we to assume that she is also doomed? Phyllis <JROVNER1@OHIOU.EDU>
Athens, OH USA - Wednesday, September 03, 1997 at 21:13:49 (EDT)
I just started
"The Bluest Eye", and am really enjoying it. Having had so much fun
looking at nature imagery in Hurston's book, I was struck that practically the
first thing we saw in "The Bluest Eye" was a nature image! Seemed
to mean something very different though. Hurston seemed to glory nature as an
ideal state to strive towards, while (in the few pages I've read) "the
outdoors" for Morrison's characters is something cruel and to be feared.
Even the example of the marigolds, whose blooming was to be seen as a good omen
to aid them, was actually an example of feeling hurt and thwarted by nature.
Rachel <allegria@his.com>
USA - Sunday, October 05, 1997 at 23:47:48 (EDT)
I am an avid
fan of Toni Morrison. The first book of hers I read was BELOVED. It was so powerful
and I was very moved. However there were many passages I would love to discuss
with others who may have more insight. I was so impressed by BELOVED that I
proceeded to read THE BLUEST EYE, SULA, and one other I cannot recall immediately.
I am enjoying reading the comments by others on this site and would love to
join the discussions. Thanks.
Pixie Arthur <arthurp@enmu.edu>
Ruidoso, NM USA - Saturday, October 11, 1997 at 08:46:40 (EDT)
Hi, Pixie! Welcome -- I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Morrison's book! I haven't read any of her other stuff, so I'd be interested in hearing how this one compares.
As I said in my earlier post, I really enjoyed The Bluest Eye. But then I got to the end.
Did anyone else feel cheated? My gosh -- we saw nothing about how Pecola felt about being pregnant or what effect that had on anyone else in her immediate vicinity (just the girls and the town -- but not her mother, for example). We saw nothing about the birth? the miscarriage? And I found the ending really obscure. I wanted to see more of this mythical companion and how Pecola was feeling. Pecola seemed almost as cursorily dismissed by Toni Morrison as she was by the town!
When did Pecola
begin to feel that she had blue eyes? Was it after the dog died, or after the
baby died, or what? Did she ever have a time when she just enjoyed that feeling,
or was the belief always only accepted with the knowledge that it wasn't true?
Rachel <allegria@his.com>
USA - Monday, October 13, 1997 at 13:14:32 (EDT)
Was delighted
to find your book discussion group! I'm looking for a speaker on Toni Morrison's
works to address a class of high school seniors in west St. Louis County, MO.
Sorry, no honorarium -- these are the public schools! But if you love Morrison's
works and want to share your love with bright students, please contact me ASAP.
We are looking for someone who can explain and relate the African-American perspective
on Morrison's works and style to a mostly white audience. Thanks, Marilyn McDonald,
Partners in Education, Eureka High School.
Marilyn McDonald <est26@rockwood.k12.mo.us>
USA - Tuesday, October 14, 1997 at 15:09:52 (EDT)
As a scholar of Black Women's Literature, and an aspiring novelist, I found the comments on Hurston's and Morrison's works both interesting and disturbing. In reference to the question about whether one would read Hurston's book if it were written all in dialect--I have read and enjoyed Shakespeare's works. And, yet, as a Blackwoman in US Society, it included me not at all. The language enhanced the characters and there social and historical significance.
I don't know that I so much agree with the fact that Hurston's allows her female character to be passive in their lives. Especially she actively makes them the voice of themselves and of each other. (As indicated in the first chapter in the porch front conversation.) That is an overt assignment of agency. The Bluest Eye by Morrison, is one of the most complex novels written, (obviously, in my opinion). It delves into the precariousness of identity in relationship to time/place. There seemed to be some confusion and some dissatisfaction of when certain things took place.
Black literature
tends to explore the timelessness of Black existence in this real world society.
The Bluest Eye did that remarkably. Gloria Naylor's Bailey's Cafe does it overtly
as does Gayle Jones' Corrigadora. The "wild child" character is prevalent
in Black female literature because it speaks to the paradox between sanity/insanity
in our society. How does one continue to interact sanely in a world that treats
you illogically as the psychological norm. In this case, how can a young Blackgirl
grow up sane (with self identity) when the normalized outward sign of beauty
and self identity is Blond with Blue eyes? Well, thank you for hearing my thoughts...
Vida <vcwilliams@earthlink.net>
Durham, NC USA - Friday, October 17, 1997 at 14:57:24 (EDT)
the bluest
eye is a haunting book. It goes deep into secrets that houses hide from the
public. women sitting on porches watch a little girl walk by, her head down,
and they can guess but the truth is too hard to look at.
queen
USA - Thursday, October 30, 1997 at 19:27:19 (EST)
In terms of
community in these two text, the Bluest Eye and Their Eyes... I think it is
interesting to look at the resurgence of interest in these novels and what that
says about our community. Hurston published Their Eyes in the 30's it got mass
appeal in the 70's and is having a resurgence in the late 90's Morrison published
the late 70's and is also (even though she has written several other books since
then) a resurgence in the late 90's. Usually a resurgence is because of white
academic and quasi-theoretical mainstream interest. I read The Bluest Eye and
Their Eyes as a child of the age of 10. It was given to me by a Black teacher
I had who was an avid collector of Black fiction of several genre. I think the
resurgence of these books as interesting enough to discuss is that our community
is once again so divergent on issues of race, especially where race intersects
with gender.
Vida Williams <vcwilliams@oao.com>
USA - Friday, November 14, 1997 at 10:59:19 (EST)
Hi...I thought
readers on this site might be interested in the following online chat: NOBEL
PRIZE WINNER TONI MORRISON IN TIME ONLINE INTERVIEW TIME ONLINE FORUM WEDNESDAY
JANUARY 21ST, 8PM EASTERN Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison joins Time's Forum
this Wednesday, January 21st at 8pm, for an online interview. Log on to chat
with her about her latest book, "Paradise." Ask her about the role
history plays in her fiction. Find out how she thinks the Nobel Prize has affected
her life and work. Talk to her about how she writes her books -- or about any
other topic you're interested in. The URL address for the chat is: www.time.com/community/newsforum.html.
If you miss the chat, you can read the transcript at www.time.com/community/transcripts/chattr012198.html
beginning January 22nd. If you'd like more information, please contact Paul
Hechinger, at Time Online, at 212-522-4080.
Paul Hechinger <Paul_Hechinger@timemagazine.com>
USA - Tuesday, January 20, 1998 at 13:26:05 (EST)
Hi, gang!
Speaking of Toni Morrison and her new book (well, we were, sort of, kinda, a few entries down) . . . tonight I went to a reading that she did of "Paradise" here in D.C.!
It was very interesting! I'd read the new book over the weekend, and I thought that it was very good. It's interesting to compare it with "The Bluest Eye". "Paradise" definitely shows greater maturity as a writer -- a broader palette, and a surer hand.
After she did the reading, she answered a few questions from the audience. None concerned The Bluest Eye. With regard to Paradise (sorry, I'm dropping the quotes around the titles), she said that it was one of a trilogy dealing with different types of love and their positive and negative permutations, along with Beloved and Jazz. Beloved, she said, was on the topic of parental love. Jazz was on romantic love. And Paradise was on love of G-d and faith. If THAT doesn't get her as number-one book club author, I don't know what will. Now I'm dying to read the other two books to compare and contrast. :)
She did not sign books there, but if you got the book from the bookstore sponsoring the reading (as I did), you could get a pre-signed book plate, and say hello after the reading. I was VERY fortunate, because I happened to be sitting in one of the first areas called up to meet her -- I'd guess I was one of the first 25. (There were, I'd say, at least 1500 people at the reading, and at least half of them hung around afterwards -- I have no idea if everyone was really able to meet her.)
The nice part about her not signing books was that when people in line met her, they could really look her in the face, instead of having her attention split. I shook her hand and told her what an honor it was to meet her. Then I told her that I had just recently read The Bluest Eye, which I'd read because of being involved with a book club on the Internet discussing it, and we had really enjoyed it. She laughed, and said, "I love it!" I didn't have a chance to ask her any questions about community in her books, or even (sorry David!) tell her who sponsored this club. I was very aware of the crush of people behind me, and I didn't want to slow things down too much.
It was a lovely event, despite the large crowd. She read beautifully, and was just as warm as could be in her interactions with people. Now . . . just to make certain I'm on topic . . . I'll mention what *I* thought was interesting when I compared The Bluest Eye and Paradise in terms of community. (If you don't want to know ANYTHING about Paradise before reading it, stop here -- although I don't think I'll give away any more spoilers than the book jackets do). In The Bluest Eye, we saw how the pressures of a dominant community damaged a smaller community. The African-American community was damaged as a whole, and some of the individual members of it were crushed, by trying to conform to standards set up in the stereotypical white world. One might think from that that were there no pressures from the outside world, the inner community would be idyllic. Yet in Paradise we see a community that is entirely African-American, with little involvement with the outside world (very little interaction via, for example, television, even), and the community still becomes dysfunctional.
Discuss amongst
yourselves. :)
Rachel <allegria@his.com>
USA - Friday, January 30, 1998 at 00:03:32 (EST)
It's great that you got to meet Toni Morrison, Rachel. I went to the "virtual chat" that Time magazine sponsored (you can link to the transcripts a few posts up). I asked a question, too!
Here it is: Timehost presents question #1029 from Dkurz: "Do you read old newspapers or magazines to get a feeling for the past?"
Toni Morrison says, "I read magazines and newspapers of a particular place and period in order to soak up the atmosphere and the relevant discourse, the relevant headlines and matters that seem to be important to people.For example, in "Jazz," I read both mainstream newspapers for 1926 and newspapers published by black publishers in New York and elsewhere."
Thank you, Paul, for tipping us off about the event.
David Kurz
<kurz@ohiou.edu>
Athens, OH USA - Thursday, February 05, 1998 at 12:14:54 (EST)
I am currently
writing my dissertation on Toni Morrison and the "matri-focality"
of her three novels SULA, BELOVED AND SONG OF SOLOMON, if anyone has any info
on this, I'd love to hear from you. Josie McAvoy 20 Woodlands Road Woodlands
Doncaster South Yorkshire England. Thank you very much xxxx
Josie McAvoy
Doncaster, England - Monday, March 16, 1998 at 09:32:42 (EST)
I am trying
to determine several things from the Bluest Eye. What would be an example of
a symbol from this book? Also, how does this book deal with "double consciousness?"
Any help you can give me would be great. Thanks,
Anna Hammond <ANNNNA1@aol.com>
Tuesday, March 24, 1998 at 02:34:27 (EST)
Hey Fellow
Book Lovers... This is my first time to visit the site. It's wonderful to see
people from all over the world coming together to discuss a common passion.
I am a senior English major at University of West Georgia. I have chosen Toni
Morrison to do my thesis paper on. I am currently reading Song of Solomon, which
is the first of her books I have read. I am interested in getting involved with
a Toni Morrison book club, discussion group, listserv etc. If anyone has any
suggestions for me or would just like to chat email me at puther@mindspring.com!
Also, does anyone know Toni's email address or one that could give me a schedule
of her visitations. I live near Atlanta and was hoping she might be around the
area in the near future. Again, I was very impressed with everyones comments.
It's great to be in the presence of scholars!! Mandy :)
Mandy Triplett <puther@mindspring.com>
Carrollton, Ga. USA - Sunday, June 07, 1998 at 15:57:08 (EDT)
Re: Toni Morrison
Have read all of her works; Have enjoyed them like finally getting to go on
a bike ride when your one of fourteen children and own only one bike. The rides
are breathtaking
Pueblo Community College
Pueblo, Colorado, USA - Thursday, June 18, 1998 at 13:04:32 (EDT)
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