Toni Morrison Summary

Toni Morrison (1931 -) American novelist, essayist, editor, and playwright. Toni Morrison: Introduction Toni Morrison: Principal Works Toni Morrison: Primary Sources Toni Morrison: General Commentary ... Read more

Toni Morrison - (1931 -) (Born Chloe Ardelia Wofford) American novelist, essayist, playwright, critic, author of children's books, and editor. In 1993, Morrison became the first African America... Read more

Biography EssayToni Morrison is one of America's most important writers of fiction. She has received critical acclaim, most notably the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Beloved (1987), the 1978 National Book C... Read more

"When they say I'm a great American novelist," Toni Morrison commented to Gail Caldwell in an interview published in Conversations with Toni Morrison, "I say, 'Ha! They're trying to say I'm not black.... Read more

One of the most prominent contemporary analysts of the black experience, Toni Morrison has, within a decade, established herself as a significant American novelist. As a senior editor at Random Hous... Read more

[This entry was updated by Catherine E. Lewis (University of South Carolina) from the entry by Denise Heinze (Western Carolina University) in DLB 143: American Novelists Since World War II, Third Seri... Read more

Critical Essay by Jane S. Bakerman [Toni Morrison] has achieved major stature through the publication of only three novels. The Bluest Eye (1970) and Sula (1973) are brief, poetic works which explore ... Read more

In the following essay, Holloway examines Morrison's use of lyrical female voices in The Bluest Eye and The Song of Solomon as a celebration of African-American spirituality and cultural identi... Read more

In the following interview, Morrison discusses her career and her novel Love. Distinguished American novelist Toni Morrison is in her Manhattan apartment, talking about “outlaw women.” D... Read more

In the following review, Mantel provides a plot synopsis of Morrison's Love, and offers a favorable assessment of the novel. Toni Morrison has said in interviews that readers sometimes ask her:... Read more

In the following review, McDowell discusses the theme of love in Morrison's Love. What is this thing called love that cannot stand alone, but depends on modifiers and conjunctions to complete i... Read more

In the following essay, Lewis argues that Morrison's Jazz may be categorized as a “jazz novel,” in that the narrative structure of the story is based on stylistic techniques of ja... Read more

Removed at the request of the publisher, Thomson Gale. Read more

In the following essay, Jones examines the significance of references to the biblical story of Cain and Abel in Morrison's Sula and Beloved. Jones argues that Morrison's references to th... Read more

In the following essay, Hove provides an overview of elements of postmodernism in Morrison's fiction. Although she regards herself first and foremost as an African-American writer, Toni Morriso... Read more

An ugly brown caterpillar slowly slithers its way up a branch, regarded as disgusting and unknown. However, as time progresses, it emerges from its cocoon, a magnificent butterfly, new, beautiful, an... Read more