Featured Books
Here are a few books to get you started as you explore the themes presented in Their Eyes Were Watching God in these books located in both the Doyle & Mahoney libraries.
- Wrapped in Rainbows : The Life of Zora Neale Hurston - Valerie Boyd
Call Number: Doyle Reserve Desk - 4th flr., Mahoney Reserve Desk - 1st flr., PS3515.U789 Z63 2003 - In Search of our Mothers' Gardens - Alice Walker
Call Number: Doyle Reserve, 4th flr.; Mahoney Reserve, 1st flr. PS3573.A425 Z467 1983 - Every Tub Must Sit on its Own Bottom - Deborah Plant
Call Number: Doyle Reserve 4th flr.; Mahoney Reserve, 1st flr. PS 3515. U789 Z82 1995 - Zora Neale Hurston : A Literary Biography - Robert E. Hemenway
Call Number: Doyle Reserve Desk - 4th flr: PS3515.U789 Z953 1991
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Who Was Zora Neale Hurston?
Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) was a Southern novelist, anthropologist, linguist, dancer, playwright, story-teller, singer, librarian and prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Her book Their Eyes Were Watching God was first published in 1937.
To learn more about Hurston consult the Gale Literary Databases or Wilson Biography Reference Bank where you can read more about her life, criticism of her work, while viewing photographs and timelines. Material read can be printed,
emailed or saved to a flashdrive.
Learn More About Hurston in these E Books
Photo by Marion Post Wolcott
Don't know where to start? If you're in the library, don't gamble! Find your way to the Reference Desk (on the second floor of the Doyle Library or the first floor of the Mahoney Library) where a reference librarian can help you navigate the Library's reference collection or use our online reference books.
The sources listed below are online books you can read on the computer but there are many more items in the Library's collection. In the books listed below you'll find the background information necessary to help develop a better understanding of your topic. If you are reading this from off campus you'll be asked to enter your Student ID number and PIN code, the same ones you use to enter My Cubby.
- Encyclopedia of African American Writers - Yolanda Williams Page
Call Number: E Book PS153.N5 E49 2007ebOnce you’ve accessed this e book using the link above, you'll find an article written by Warren J. Carson which describes Hurston's life and works in volume 1, and a discussion of Their Eyes which begins on p. 288. - The Encyclopedia of the Harlem Literary Renaissance - Lois Brown
Call Number: E -Book PS153.N5 B675 2006ebRead this with just one click! A biographical article on Hurston appears on pages 261-265 and a literary discussion of Their Eyes Were Watching God on pages 509-512. More than 600 essays on novelists, poets, playwrights, journalists, publishers, individual works, newspapers, and other publications are included. - Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society
Call Number: E-Book HT1521 .E63 2008ebRead this with just one click! Read the article on the Harlem Renaissance in this special encyclopedia full of 600 entries with more than 200 black-and-white graphics, including tables, graphs, maps, and photographs. Entries cover people, education, gender and family, immigration, community and urban issues, and concepts and theories.
Hear It!
- Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
Call Number: Doyle Reserve 4th flr.; Mahoney Reserve, 1st flr. PS3515.U789 T54 2004Having trouble understanding the Southern dialect in Hurston's book? Listen to actress and Grammy award winner Ruby Dee read the book for you in this audio book available at the Doyle Reserve Desk on the 4th floor or the Circulation Desk on the 1st floor of the Mahoney Library. Check the link to see if it's available. You'll need the call number to request the book as well as your Student ID Card to check it out.
A Sample of Literary Criticism
Don't forget to check for literary criticism in the Gale Literary Databases.
This is a sample of some of the books that contain literary criticism of Hurston's writings.
- Student Companion to Zora Neale Hurston - Josie P. Campbell
Call Number: E-Book: PS3515.U789 Z64 2001ebA great source of literary criticism on Their Eyes Were Watching God that contains sections relating to plot development, setting and symbolism, character development, and thematic issues. Includes a feminist reading. - The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Multiethnic American Literature - Emmanuel S. Nelson
Call Number: Mahoney Reference PS153.M56 G74 2005Volume 2 contains a biography of Hurston along with literary criticism in an article written by Barbara Z. Thaden. - Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance - Aberjhani and Sandra L. West
Call Number: Reference Doyle 2nd flr, Mahoney 1st flr, LPS153.N5 A24 2003Iris Formey Dawson writes an essay on Hurston which includes biographical information, photos, and literary criticism. - American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies - Leonard Unger
Call Number: Reference Doyle 2nd flr, Mahoney 1st flr, PS129 .A55This collection of critical and biographical articles covers notable authors from the 17th century to the present day. - American Women Writers : A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to the Present - Lina MainieroCall Number: Reference Doyle 2nd flr, Mahoney 1st flr PS147 .A4 v. 2Joyce Pettis provides 3 pages of literary criticism of Hurston.
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