Gloria Naylor Summary

Naylor, Gloria (1950—) Gloria Naylor, one of the most influential African American women writers of the late twentieth century, came to prominence in 1982 when she published The Women of Brewst... Read more

The author Gloria Naylor (born 1950) wrote novels that emphasized the strengths of women, especially African American women, and the effects on the lives of people of racism, sexism, and the drive for... Read more

As author of The Women of Brewster Place, Gloria Naylor has assured her place in a body of literature which she has revered since childhood, a reverence owed directly to her mother. "My parents were f... Read more

In the following essay, Andrews discusses the concept of black sisterhood, as portrayed in Naylor's early novels, and how it promotes “a sense of identity, purpose, and strength for surv... Read more

In the following excerpt, Erickson discusses Naylor's humor in Bailey's Cafe and comments on Naylor's views regarding cooperation among different racial and ethnic groups. Bail... Read more

In the following essay, Delgado discusses the voice of the women in The Women of Brewster Place which subverts white misconceptions regarding African Americans. It would appear that books, like gen... Read more

In the following essay, Kubitschek explores the connections between Naylor's Mama Day and the works of Toni Morrison and William Shakespeare. In 1987, Barbara Christian asserted that importa... Read more

In the following essay, Storhoff analyzes how Naylor reinterprets William Shakespeare's The Tempest in her novel Mama Day. In Gloria Naylor's novel Mama Day, Reema's boy comes ... Read more

In the following essay, Page examines the metaphorical image of the abyss in Bailey's Cafe. In Toni Morrison's Jazz, the imagery of wells is significant. Because Violet Trace's... Read more

In the following review, Thomas offers a positive assessment of The Men of Brewster Place. Gloria Naylor's The Men of Brewster Place is a profound work that explores the other side of the ge... Read more

In the following essay, Thompson discusses Naylor's focus on race and gender in Mama Day and Bailey's Cafe. In their attempts to analyze the texts in Gloria Naylor's complicate... Read more

In the following mixed review, Montgomery asserts the importance of Naylor's exploration of African-American manhood in The Men of Brewster Place, but notes several serious flaws in the novel. ... Read more

In the following interview, Naylor talks about her background, the role of community in her work, and her relationship to her characters. [Carabi:] Toni Morrison told me that, despite growing up in... Read more

In the following essay, Montgomery discusses Naylor's use of the descent motif in The Women of Brewster Place. The Women of Brewster Place is an experimental novel that functions as a rare, ... Read more

In the following review, Rifkind offers a mixed assessment of Bailey's Cafe. Gloria Naylor's is a commanding fictional voice: sonorous, graceful, sometimes piercing, often spellbindin... Read more

Critical Essay by Susan Bolotin Imagine a sort of Catfish Row moved North. Snow and rain have replaced the buzzards as omens, and Ben, a pure-hearted janitor who drinks too much, is standing in for P... Read more