WOLM Fall 2010: Their Eyes Were Watching God   Tags: hurston, their_eyes_were_watching_god, wolm  

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

 

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.

                                                                           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 2007eb

Once 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 2006eb

Read 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 2008eb

Read 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.

 

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 2001eb

A 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 2005

Volume 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 2003

Iris 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 .A55

This 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 Mainiero

Call Number: Reference Doyle 2nd flr, Mahoney 1st flr PS147 .A4 v. 2

Joyce Pettis provides 3 pages of literary criticism of Hurston.