Toni Morrison and the Writing of Place

This book explores Toni Morrison's creative processes by examining her archived drafts, notes, and manuscripts alongside her published novels. It analyzes her textual choices, writerly strategies, and process of writing, highlighting how these elements shape her literary places. The study focuses on the novels Beloved (1987), Paradise (1997), and A Mercy (2008), examining specific instances of written places and their formation as text. By combining close reading and genetic criticism, the book contributes to Morrison scholarship by illuminating the importance of ideas such as joining, transformation, and articulation in her fictional writing.

Format: Hardback
Length: 168 pages
Publication date: 29 March 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The book delves into Morrison's writing process, exploring the author's textual choices, writerly strategies, and creative processes. By examining the drafting and crafting of her fictional places, the book offers fresh insights into her creative processes. The analysis focuses primarily on the novels Beloved (1987), Paradise (1997), and A Mercy (2008). Through close reading and genetic criticism, the book examines particular instances of written places, illuminating the manifold ways in which they are formed as text. It demonstrates the centrality of the ideas of joining, transformation, and articulation in these novels, highlighting the ways in which Morrison's literary places are shaped by these thematic elements.

Morrison's literary places are not static entities but are dynamic and evolving. They are formed through the interplay of various textual elements, including language, imagery, symbolism, and narrative structure. The book explores how Morrison uses these elements to create immersive and evocative settings that contribute to the overall themes and meanings of her novels. For example, in Beloved, the concept of joining is central to the formation of the fictional place of Sethe's home. Sethe is a former slave who has escaped to Cincinnati, where she establishes a new home for herself and her children. The novel explores the ways in which Sethe struggles to join with her past and present, and to create a new sense of belonging and identity for herself and her children.

Paradise is another novel that explores the idea of transformation. The novel takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where the survivors are forced to adapt to a new way of life. The book explores how the characters are transformed by their experiences in this new world, and how they struggle to find meaning and purpose in their lives. The novel's setting, a former resort town that has been transformed into a wasteland, plays a significant role in shaping the characters' experiences and attitudes.

In A Mercy, the concept of articulation is central to the formation of the fictional place of the town of Mercy. The novel takes place in a small town in the American South, where the residents are divided by racial and social tensions. The book explores how the characters are articulated by these tensions, and how they struggle to find ways to connect and communicate with each other. The novel's setting, a former plantation that has been converted into a community center, plays a significant role in shaping the characters' experiences and attitudes.

Through its analysis of Morrison's writing, this book demonstrates the importance of the ideas of joining, transformation, and articulation in shaping her literary places. It highlights the ways in which Morrison uses these themes to create complex and nuanced fictional worlds that reflect the social and cultural realities of her time. The book also offers valuable insights into Morrison's writing process, demonstrating how the author's textual choices, writerly strategies, and creative processes contribute to the formation and development of her literary places.

In conclusion, this book is a significant contribution to Morrison scholarship, offering fresh insights into the author's creative processes and the formation of her literary places. By examining the drafting and crafting of Morrison's fictional places, the book demonstrates the centrality of the ideas of joining, transformation, and articulation in shaping her literary world. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of Morrison's work, as well as anyone interested in the study of literary place and the creative processes of contemporary writers.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032051192