Toni Morrison

Term Paper # 115796

African-American Studies > Historical Figures
Literature > American
Women Studies > Historical Figures

Toni Morrison

An overview of the literary achievements of Toni Morrison.

871 words () | 3 sources | MLA | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper describes how Toni Morrison took a distinctly indirect path to becoming a writer and then focuses on her first novel, "The Bluest Eye". The paper discusses how this novel was groundbreaking in that it confronted societal standards of beauty and challenged these values as being self-loathing and even racist. The paper also discusses how Morrison managed to acquire a place in the mainstream of American literary prose. The paper then turns to her novel, "Song of Solomon" and her masterwork, "Beloved" and concludes that her education and life experiences prepared her for what has been one of the most successful literary careers of the past century.

From the Paper:

"The United States is a country that loves its celebrities. However, it has been a long time since literary figures were generally considered celebrities in this country. However, one writer who has consistently broke ground over the last fifty years as an artist and as a black woman is Toni Morrison. Over the course of her lengthy career, Morrison has become America's most decorated writer and a household name in her own right. She has drawn on her childhood experiences as well as her knowledge as a prodigious writer to create her work. In the process, she has helped to transform what it is to be a writer in America, not only through her prose but also by the path she has taken in her career educationally and politically."

Sample of Sources Used:

Kubitschek, Missy Dehn. Toni Morrison: A Critical Companion. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998.
Peterson, Nancy J. Toni Morrison: Critical and Theoretical Approaches. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997.
Toni Morrison Biography. Biography.com. http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9415590