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I Love Myself When I Am Laughing and Then Again When I Am Looking Mean and Impressive
"One of the greatest writers of our time."—Toni Morrison"This well-made collection of her work . . . should give momentum to the rediscovery of Hurston as 'the intellectual and spiritual foremother of a generation of black women writers.'"— The Washington Post Book ReviewKnown for her audacity and inimitable style, Zora Neale Hurston is widely acknowledged as the forerunner for writers such as Toni Morrison and Alice Walker. This anthology draws together superb selections from her essays, short stories, journalism, folklore, and autobiography.Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960) was a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist whose fictional and factual accounts of black heritage remain unparalleled. Her many books include Dust Tracks on a Road ; Their Eyes Were Watching God ; Jonah's Gourd Vine ; Moses, Man of the Mountain ; Mules and Men ; and Every Tongue Got to Confess .Alice Walker changed the course of the American literary canon when she published her novel The Color Purple in 1982. As an anthologist, she lifted from obscurity the writings of Zora Neale Hurston and introduced Hurston to a new generation of readers in this FP Classic, first published in 1979.
350 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1979
103 people are currently reading
10843 people want to read
About the author
Zora Neale Hurston
185 books5,320 followersNovels, including
Their Eyes Were Watching God
(1937), and nonfiction writings of American folklorist Zora Neale Hurston give detailed accounts of African American life in the South.
In 1925, Hurston, one of the leaders of the literary renaissance, happening in Harlem, produced the short-lived literary magazine Fire!! alongside Langston Hughes and Wallace Thurman shortly before she entered Barnard College. This literary movement developed into the Harlem renaissance.
Hurston applied her Barnard ethnographic training to document African American folklore in her critically acclaimed book Mules and Men alongside fiction Their Eyes Were Watching God . She also assembled a folk-based performance dance group that recreated her Southern tableau with one performance on Broadway.
People awarded a Guggenheim fellowship to Hurston to travel to Haiti and conduct research on conjure in 1937. Her significant work ably broke into the secret societies and exposed their use of drugs to create the Vodun trance, also a subject of study for fellow dancer-anthropologist Katherine Dunham, then at the University of Chicago.
In 1954, the Pittsburgh Courier assigned Hurston, unable to sell her fiction, to cover the small-town murder trial of Ruby McCollum, the prosperous black wife of the local lottery racketeer, who had killed a racist white doctor. Hurston also contributed to Woman in the Suwanee County Jail , a book by journalist and civil rights advocate William Bradford Huie.
In 1925, Hurston, one of the leaders of the literary renaissance, happening in Harlem, produced the short-lived literary magazine Fire!! alongside Langston Hughes and Wallace Thurman shortly before she entered Barnard College. This literary movement developed into the Harlem renaissance.
Hurston applied her Barnard ethnographic training to document African American folklore in her critically acclaimed book Mules and Men alongside fiction Their Eyes Were Watching God . She also assembled a folk-based performance dance group that recreated her Southern tableau with one performance on Broadway.
People awarded a Guggenheim fellowship to Hurston to travel to Haiti and conduct research on conjure in 1937. Her significant work ably broke into the secret societies and exposed their use of drugs to create the Vodun trance, also a subject of study for fellow dancer-anthropologist Katherine Dunham, then at the University of Chicago.
In 1954, the Pittsburgh Courier assigned Hurston, unable to sell her fiction, to cover the small-town murder trial of Ruby McCollum, the prosperous black wife of the local lottery racketeer, who had killed a racist white doctor. Hurston also contributed to Woman in the Suwanee County Jail , a book by journalist and civil rights advocate William Bradford Huie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
March 22, 2009
Hurston should be required reading in all public schools.
February 8, 2016
Lively, confident, talented, and prolific are a few of the words that describe Zora Neale Hurston. In the dedication, by Alice Walker, she introduces readers to a woman who loved herself and her people and managed to remain true to herself despite having characteristics that others may have seen as hinderances in Hurston's time, such as being black, woman, non-bourgeoisie, and not favoring a likeness to whiteness.
Mary Helen Washington's introduction, not far off from Walker's view, paints Hurston as one who is enthralled by the culture of black folks and all their folklore. She possesses a deep love for them. So much so, that is it is said that she was staunchly against desegregation, or at least the effects that would come of it. It is implied, and I suspect, that Hurston felt that it was sort of a slap in the face to black culture and black educators. Desegregation implied a subconscious level inferiority of the black race to educate themselves, as it was considered as "making progress" to receive an education from a "white institution." Hurston was definitely not one to be "tragically colored" and loved her blackness, and felt that blacks contributed to society in their own dynamic and embellished way. Hurston's point of view is not hard to understand giving that she was from the all black, self-sufficient town of Eatonville.
Hurston had an independent mind, and was so much ahead of her time. Here you have a woman, who lost her mother at a very young age, managed to go to college, to study and do folklore research, and be such a prolific writer! This was at a time, when most of the black population in the U.S. barely knew how to read and write. Perhaps, this is why she was so under-appreciated during her life. Even the people she studied for folklore research really did not understand what she was doing or why. They wrote it off as folly, but still entertained her nonetheless. The popular, black male writers, at the time, many of whom made their literary mark by writing about "the race problem," were not ready for an independent-minded woman who didn't dwell on the "tragedies" of being black. Many of them trashed her character and her work.
Hurston's work represents "wholeness." She gives well-rounded depictions of black life. The good, the bad, the truth, never seemingly sugar-coated. Yet, she is not demeaning, and her characters rarely come off as stereotypical. Hurston sees no need in refining herself or her characters for acceptance, and there is no instance of encouraging others to do so in her work.
Her work is afro-centered, although there is little discussion of racial politics. Perhaps this was an issue for other black writers, mainly men, of her time. There is an account in "Dust Tracks" where she meets Cudjo Lewis, an African who was a victim of the slave trade. He gave a somber account of how African people had kidnapped, murdered, and sold other Africans into slavery before the white man began making his profit from the slave trade. It is a sobering account for one to hear, especially in an environment where many blacks pinpoint white racism as a root cause of many disparities, and tend to paint a picturesque scene of Africa. Hurston does not discredit racism as an issue; she actually does not elaborate or participate in the debate at all. She simply states a powerful truth. Zora writes how the time spent with Lewis had a deep impression on her as she comes to the mental realization that, "my people sold me."
Hurston is not only a storyteller, but also an anthropologist. Her studying and cultural research show through in her writing in her use of the vernacular language of whatever group of people she was writing about. She has managed to catalogue some of the vernacular language, folklore, and culture of the people in her hometown of Eatonville, the people in Florida, and the Jamaican people. Her work is important, as it preserves life as it was for those people at that particular time, and how they talked and related with one another. She has preserved these cultural aspects that where dying then, and if not already dead, are still dying in our society today.
In her essay, "The Pet Negro System" Hurston epitomizes how a white person can be "accepting" of an individual Black person, yet still be racist as it refers to the whole race in general. She practically destroys the whole defense of "I have a black friend" that so many whites use, evidently, not just in Hurston's time, but long after. She expounds on how the "system" works both ways and how these "pet Negros" benefit from these relationships. Alternatively, identifying the complex relationships between whites and blacks of the South, and how blacks contribute to maintaining the status quo of life in the South. It sounds very counter-progressive to blacks on the surface, but trust, Hurston tells it like it is. By far to me, this was the most profound piece, as a whole, in this collection of writings in this particular reader.
In her essay "What White Publishers Won't Print," Hurston talks about the one-sided, stereotypical narratives that are forced on blacks. Narratives that are not far-fetched from stereotypical depictions of blacks today as brutes and savages. Once again, Hurston impresses me with her attention to the wholeness and fullness of black life. Arguing that we are capable of anything as any other race, if given the same opportunities.
Hurston doesn't focus on the "race problem" in her work because she knows that we are more than just that, and that other things encompass the substance of our lives. Her work takes you on a journey deep into the black consciousness. She captures the mood, feelings, sounds, music, language, and more. Even to the point where it is sometimes hard for "outsiders" of the culture to understand. She presents a certain wholeness to the complexities of black life, and its complex relationships to it's counterpart–white life. Her depictions and analysis are honest. They are not so cut and dry and black and white as some may want you to believe, such as Hurston's critics. It is important to have work that focuses on the race problem, to deeply analyze it, to get to the roots of it. However, it is also critically important to have work that presents the other situations and circumstances that make up black life–the ones that all people can relate to, not just blacks. Things such as love, hate, jealousy, infidelity, greed. Hence, the importance of Zora's work. It is indeed very and uniquely black, yet it is simultaneously universal. We are not tragically colored. We are not always the victim as the race problem writers love to express. In fact, sometimes we are the perpetrators. Sometimes, we assist in perpetuating the system that antagonizes our race. Sometimes we turn our backs on our own for personal gain. Not all of us are unskilled laborers and poor. Some of us are highly skilled and wealthy. That is not to pass judgement on any particular socio-economic class or on any group regardless of the level of education. It is simply just the truth. Zora's work encompasses all of these things.
Mary Helen Washington's introduction, not far off from Walker's view, paints Hurston as one who is enthralled by the culture of black folks and all their folklore. She possesses a deep love for them. So much so, that is it is said that she was staunchly against desegregation, or at least the effects that would come of it. It is implied, and I suspect, that Hurston felt that it was sort of a slap in the face to black culture and black educators. Desegregation implied a subconscious level inferiority of the black race to educate themselves, as it was considered as "making progress" to receive an education from a "white institution." Hurston was definitely not one to be "tragically colored" and loved her blackness, and felt that blacks contributed to society in their own dynamic and embellished way. Hurston's point of view is not hard to understand giving that she was from the all black, self-sufficient town of Eatonville.
Hurston had an independent mind, and was so much ahead of her time. Here you have a woman, who lost her mother at a very young age, managed to go to college, to study and do folklore research, and be such a prolific writer! This was at a time, when most of the black population in the U.S. barely knew how to read and write. Perhaps, this is why she was so under-appreciated during her life. Even the people she studied for folklore research really did not understand what she was doing or why. They wrote it off as folly, but still entertained her nonetheless. The popular, black male writers, at the time, many of whom made their literary mark by writing about "the race problem," were not ready for an independent-minded woman who didn't dwell on the "tragedies" of being black. Many of them trashed her character and her work.
Hurston's work represents "wholeness." She gives well-rounded depictions of black life. The good, the bad, the truth, never seemingly sugar-coated. Yet, she is not demeaning, and her characters rarely come off as stereotypical. Hurston sees no need in refining herself or her characters for acceptance, and there is no instance of encouraging others to do so in her work.
Her work is afro-centered, although there is little discussion of racial politics. Perhaps this was an issue for other black writers, mainly men, of her time. There is an account in "Dust Tracks" where she meets Cudjo Lewis, an African who was a victim of the slave trade. He gave a somber account of how African people had kidnapped, murdered, and sold other Africans into slavery before the white man began making his profit from the slave trade. It is a sobering account for one to hear, especially in an environment where many blacks pinpoint white racism as a root cause of many disparities, and tend to paint a picturesque scene of Africa. Hurston does not discredit racism as an issue; she actually does not elaborate or participate in the debate at all. She simply states a powerful truth. Zora writes how the time spent with Lewis had a deep impression on her as she comes to the mental realization that, "my people sold me."
Hurston is not only a storyteller, but also an anthropologist. Her studying and cultural research show through in her writing in her use of the vernacular language of whatever group of people she was writing about. She has managed to catalogue some of the vernacular language, folklore, and culture of the people in her hometown of Eatonville, the people in Florida, and the Jamaican people. Her work is important, as it preserves life as it was for those people at that particular time, and how they talked and related with one another. She has preserved these cultural aspects that where dying then, and if not already dead, are still dying in our society today.
In her essay, "The Pet Negro System" Hurston epitomizes how a white person can be "accepting" of an individual Black person, yet still be racist as it refers to the whole race in general. She practically destroys the whole defense of "I have a black friend" that so many whites use, evidently, not just in Hurston's time, but long after. She expounds on how the "system" works both ways and how these "pet Negros" benefit from these relationships. Alternatively, identifying the complex relationships between whites and blacks of the South, and how blacks contribute to maintaining the status quo of life in the South. It sounds very counter-progressive to blacks on the surface, but trust, Hurston tells it like it is. By far to me, this was the most profound piece, as a whole, in this collection of writings in this particular reader.
In her essay "What White Publishers Won't Print," Hurston talks about the one-sided, stereotypical narratives that are forced on blacks. Narratives that are not far-fetched from stereotypical depictions of blacks today as brutes and savages. Once again, Hurston impresses me with her attention to the wholeness and fullness of black life. Arguing that we are capable of anything as any other race, if given the same opportunities.
Hurston doesn't focus on the "race problem" in her work because she knows that we are more than just that, and that other things encompass the substance of our lives. Her work takes you on a journey deep into the black consciousness. She captures the mood, feelings, sounds, music, language, and more. Even to the point where it is sometimes hard for "outsiders" of the culture to understand. She presents a certain wholeness to the complexities of black life, and its complex relationships to it's counterpart–white life. Her depictions and analysis are honest. They are not so cut and dry and black and white as some may want you to believe, such as Hurston's critics. It is important to have work that focuses on the race problem, to deeply analyze it, to get to the roots of it. However, it is also critically important to have work that presents the other situations and circumstances that make up black life–the ones that all people can relate to, not just blacks. Things such as love, hate, jealousy, infidelity, greed. Hence, the importance of Zora's work. It is indeed very and uniquely black, yet it is simultaneously universal. We are not tragically colored. We are not always the victim as the race problem writers love to express. In fact, sometimes we are the perpetrators. Sometimes, we assist in perpetuating the system that antagonizes our race. Sometimes we turn our backs on our own for personal gain. Not all of us are unskilled laborers and poor. Some of us are highly skilled and wealthy. That is not to pass judgement on any particular socio-economic class or on any group regardless of the level of education. It is simply just the truth. Zora's work encompasses all of these things.
January 24, 2012
Sometimes the real deal just needs to be read. Wish she were more well known.
June 28, 2012
Good solid book. I learned some things I didn't know about my girl and when you understand a bit of the author you are reading, you receive their work better if you ask me.
July 13, 2008
Zora Neale Hurston is one of the most fascinating people to ever live, and she can prove it. This collection is a great primer. I stupidly lent it to a boy I had a crush on and he never gave it back. Which helps console me having had the crush in the first place, but man... I want my book back.
July 19, 2008
Zora Neale Hurston is my favorite writer! Often people read her fiction when she can only speak through her characters, but don't forget to treat yourself and read some of her essays because her own writing voice is the best!
August 11, 2014
What a masterpiece! Part of what makes this collection so close to my heart is its editorial work by Alice Walker. Walker's essay's reflecting on Hurston's life, particularly "Looking for Zora" give the reader a lucky glimpse into the ways one writer influences another. A joy to read, and so so important.
June 3, 2017
Please, if you want to read one of the great black authors of all time, read some Zora Neale Hurston.
Just Re-Read I Love Myself When I Am Laughing. It was already brilliant, but it got even better as I grew a bit older. ;))
Just Re-Read I Love Myself When I Am Laughing. It was already brilliant, but it got even better as I grew a bit older. ;))
June 25, 2008
Zora's essays are amazing, as are her short stories. Read it all!!!
December 31, 2008
The title alone made my heart melt.
September 27, 2012
the title itself warrants five stars. plus it's edited by alice walker. LOVE
August 29, 2021
I've been reading bits and pieces of “I Love Myself When I Am Laughing . . . And Then Again When I Am Looking Mean and Impressive” throughout the summer. This is a reissue of a reader on Zora Neale Hurston’s life and work. It is a labor of love by Alice Walker and Mary Helen Washington and an example of exceptional critical writing and scholarship.
It would be hard to open this work and not be stung while glancing through it. Consider just the title of the dedication, “On Refusing to Be Humbled by Second Place in a Contest You Did Not Design: A Tradition by Now.” Alice Walker crafted that title in 2020. Each page is engaging.
Just the introduction explores incredibly complex concepts like how a preoccupation can become a restriction and addresses the existence of any person’s inherent contradictions. A healthy person might read this book and be provoked to reflection and empathy. It is beyond my ability to say more than this book is something worth reading.
Anyway, I see messages every day on how to teach about reparations or a racial justice reading list for the summer targeted to lawyers or public defenders or teachers. I imagine the idea is to prevent someone from saying something stupid or lift the burden of explaining this stuff off of PoC. Viewpoints on this approach probably vary as much as they do about Robin Diangelo’s masterclass. It does strike me as a way of curating the “it” texts and sometimes accidental censorship by lack of inclusion. This is easy to fix.
The sort of censorship that concerns me more is the censorship of “critical” approaches to ideas by banning specific concepts. How the term critical became a pejorative label escapes me. The intent to exclude ideas and limit thoughtful and informed discussion seems clear.
Which leads me to my point on why texts like “I Love Myself Even When I Am Laughing . . .” are often important. It doesn’t take a genius to observe that the complexities of society and experiences are so intense that it may be dangerous and self-defeating to not have responsible, experienced based introductions to ideas. Of course, this will now be difficult to do in several states for fear of being perceived as endorsing or spending too much time on a critical theory listed as a divisive concept.
The "critical" component is the refined and well thought out examination of an issue. For an example, even the debate over the conflicting views (and prejudices) on Hurston’s work is fascinating.
I suppose that is why we have education and scholarship. Where an argument is flawed, like people, it can be refined and adapted through critical thinking.
It’s someone's role, in the area that they should, to be a responsible guide. For Hurston’s writing, I would be clueless as far as understanding and entirely miss the depth of almost every idea without this text.
Hurston's tragedy, from what I have read, was that she often worked under the constraints of severe thought regulation and was not perceived in her time as having "philosophically viable concepts."
It would be hard to open this work and not be stung while glancing through it. Consider just the title of the dedication, “On Refusing to Be Humbled by Second Place in a Contest You Did Not Design: A Tradition by Now.” Alice Walker crafted that title in 2020. Each page is engaging.
Just the introduction explores incredibly complex concepts like how a preoccupation can become a restriction and addresses the existence of any person’s inherent contradictions. A healthy person might read this book and be provoked to reflection and empathy. It is beyond my ability to say more than this book is something worth reading.
Anyway, I see messages every day on how to teach about reparations or a racial justice reading list for the summer targeted to lawyers or public defenders or teachers. I imagine the idea is to prevent someone from saying something stupid or lift the burden of explaining this stuff off of PoC. Viewpoints on this approach probably vary as much as they do about Robin Diangelo’s masterclass. It does strike me as a way of curating the “it” texts and sometimes accidental censorship by lack of inclusion. This is easy to fix.
The sort of censorship that concerns me more is the censorship of “critical” approaches to ideas by banning specific concepts. How the term critical became a pejorative label escapes me. The intent to exclude ideas and limit thoughtful and informed discussion seems clear.
Which leads me to my point on why texts like “I Love Myself Even When I Am Laughing . . .” are often important. It doesn’t take a genius to observe that the complexities of society and experiences are so intense that it may be dangerous and self-defeating to not have responsible, experienced based introductions to ideas. Of course, this will now be difficult to do in several states for fear of being perceived as endorsing or spending too much time on a critical theory listed as a divisive concept.
The "critical" component is the refined and well thought out examination of an issue. For an example, even the debate over the conflicting views (and prejudices) on Hurston’s work is fascinating.
I suppose that is why we have education and scholarship. Where an argument is flawed, like people, it can be refined and adapted through critical thinking.
It’s someone's role, in the area that they should, to be a responsible guide. For Hurston’s writing, I would be clueless as far as understanding and entirely miss the depth of almost every idea without this text.
Hurston's tragedy, from what I have read, was that she often worked under the constraints of severe thought regulation and was not perceived in her time as having "philosophically viable concepts."
March 10, 2024
3.5 stars. This was a nice anthology by what I consider one of the GOATs. My favorite section was the Essays and Articles. Her writing can be hard to read at times but it was enjoyable. Loved the Afterword by Alice Walker.
November 29, 2007
WHO CAN BEAT THIS TITLE? WHAT HAPPENED TO COMPLEX THOUGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 21, 2008
This is a bit of a "revived" edition of Hurston's work along with Alice Walker---both are incredible writers. This book just consists of short stories and essays--excerpts from her books.
October 1, 2009
Taking my time reading this one. Absorbing every page slowly.
April 6, 2015
I read this book many years ago, but I still remember how much I loved it. Highly recommended!
Read
October 23, 2017"A Genius of the South." - Alice Walker (borrowing from Jean Toomer) on our literary ancestor, Zora Neale Hurston.
September 29, 2024
Tony Morrison called her one of the greatest writers of our time, I couldn’t agree more.
Read
August 21, 2025Since first consuming it, I’ve always admired Hurston’s work, even though “Their Eyes Were Watching God” was primarily the extent of what I had consumed, so this anthology was a blessing in the form of many collected works, and gave me a deeper insight into what paths paved by her to follow next. I enjoyed the most her non-fiction, I think mainly because I am undeniably more curious about her as a person after reading her fiction, than necessarily in pursuit of her other fiction, which despite not being what I was originally searching for, still did amaze me in its artistry and folklore. Hurston is often described as a “folklorist”, and to tear apart the word “folklore” into its simple basis, the lore of folks, really does truly describe what her work communicates; Zora deals in the stories of real people, real folks, despite their actual fictional nature. There is something to be said about a woman who told stories so real as to often not be seen behind them, a woman who tackled the world’s folklore in meaningful and precise increments before releasing it to the entirety, who wrote about what she knew and chose to study, local culture, and how that concentrated perspective helped and hindered her. Thankfully, in the face of criticism and proposed compromise, Hurston appeared to rightly know her worth, even when her work was unfortunately obscured, and ultimately, while indeed her work was often seen as controversial, when you learn more about her, you see how deeply it was undeniably hers.
“I have made phenomenal growth as a creative artist. ... I am not materialistic ... If I do happen to die without money, somebody will bury me, though I do not wish it to be that way.”
“I have made phenomenal growth as a creative artist. ... I am not materialistic ... If I do happen to die without money, somebody will bury me, though I do not wish it to be that way.”
Want to read
August 23, 2020Okay but I did not know the full title for this book was "I Love Myself When I Am Laughing... And Then Again When I Am Looking Mean And Impressive" 🥺 Zora, making my heart quake!!
July 29, 2020
a super interesting look at a fascinating and complex human being and writer--a woman of occasionally baffling opinions on race and politics. also, my god, can hurston write. I'd only ever read their eyes were watching god before (and, side note, I do think it was weird to end this reader with a hefty chunk of tewwg, but oh well), and I really enjoyed getting to read a sampling of her other writing as well as some writing about her. she turns a neat phrase, writes [down] a mean story about the devil, and understands the nature of relationships between men and women like nobody's business.
my reading experience was a little strange and disjointed because my library loan expired when I was most of the way done with the book, so I had to wait in line to get it again to finish.
choice writing bits and points of particular linguistic interest down there (other than the ones I already added, sorry 4 abusing the updates system lol), tough 2 spoil a reader ↓↓
my reading experience was a little strange and disjointed because my library loan expired when I was most of the way done with the book, so I had to wait in line to get it again to finish.
choice writing bits and points of particular linguistic interest down there (other than the ones I already added, sorry 4 abusing the updates system lol), tough 2 spoil a reader ↓↓
January 21, 2024
So enjoyable ticklish to read. Lovable and spunky and profoundly talented, a great author who took us all way too long to appreciate and support. ❤️🕊️ (anthology edited by Alice Walker.)
October 3, 2020
It's hard to believe I started reading I Love Myself When I Am Laughing back in January. That seems like a lifetime or two ago. I think this book is symbolic of the year for me. 2020 has been a year where I have seen some success and felt some crushing blows, yet at the end there was a feeling of familiarity mixed with newness. I've always loved Hurston's work, especially Their Eyes Were Watching God. I call reading I Love Myself When I Am Laughing familiar and new at the same time because some of the material isn't new to me, but having additional works by Hurston and more information on her life made it new, in many ways I feel enlightened as I have a clearer understanding of how the system of patronage worked during the Harlem Renaissance and how different artists viewed what's acceptable and what's not. I don't like to think there's only one way of expression that's acceptable because there's value in creativity. I don't have to like it, I may even be critical of the message, but at the end of the day it is clear that that the many works of art are all an expression of humanity. Hurston's voice is an important contribution that helped shaped the fiction that's familiar to me and countless readers today. More importantly, Hurston's work is a legacy that celebrates being Black, being free, being yourself regardless of receiving applause or hearing crickets chirp.
4 stars because-the folklore and reportage section just didn't work well for me. It took several tries for me to get past this section. It's not bad, just not my preference (Tell My Horse in particular).
Reading this wanted me to learn more about Zora the person. One day I hope to read Dust Tracks on a Road and a biography written by Valerie Boyd (on my too long TBR list).
What made me see Hurston in a new way:
Religion is deeply embedded in Hurston's work, but I tended not to think of it as such. I think spiritual is a better fit. Religion is a belief system that believers tend not to compromise. It's a way of life, in some circles a measure of judgment-"the one who makes the idols never worships them, however tenderly he might have molded the clay. You cannot have knowledge and worship at the same time. Mystery is the essence of divinity. Gods must keep their distances from men" (47).
The essays are very telling of Hurston's experiences as a Black woman writer. I think her personality as being somewhat contrary to the uplift movement that dominated the early half of the twentieth century casts a shadow on her feelings. Yes she was an outspoken, independent figure that reveled in being true to herself. I think that is a mark of intelligence. Often quoted "but I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature has somehow given them a lowdown dirty deal and whose feelings are all hurt about it. Even in the helter-skelter skirmish that is my life, I have seen that the world is to the strong regardless of a little pigmentation more or less. No, I do not weep at the world-I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife" (153).
The "Pet" Negro System needs to read in its entirety.
The fiction section is by far my favorite. This was my first read of The Gilded Six Bits and Moses, Man of the Mountain. My last read of Their Eyes Were Watching God was last year (I think). I've always been so focused on Janie's growth, I didn't realize the depictions of Black women and men could be seen as less than flattering if one is fixated on presenting a version of people without blemishes. What I aim to do when I reread Their Eyes Were Watching God is consider how this work is a reflection of life (like it or not) and how things have changed or not. "There are years that ask questions and years that answer. Janie had had no chance to know things, so she had to ask. Did marriage end the cosmic loneliness of the unmated? Did marriage compel love like the sun the day?" (246) My answer to this is no...but I understand why Janie would ask, which means Hurston is a gifted writer.
4 stars because-the folklore and reportage section just didn't work well for me. It took several tries for me to get past this section. It's not bad, just not my preference (Tell My Horse in particular).
Reading this wanted me to learn more about Zora the person. One day I hope to read Dust Tracks on a Road and a biography written by Valerie Boyd (on my too long TBR list).
What made me see Hurston in a new way:
Religion is deeply embedded in Hurston's work, but I tended not to think of it as such. I think spiritual is a better fit. Religion is a belief system that believers tend not to compromise. It's a way of life, in some circles a measure of judgment-"the one who makes the idols never worships them, however tenderly he might have molded the clay. You cannot have knowledge and worship at the same time. Mystery is the essence of divinity. Gods must keep their distances from men" (47).
The essays are very telling of Hurston's experiences as a Black woman writer. I think her personality as being somewhat contrary to the uplift movement that dominated the early half of the twentieth century casts a shadow on her feelings. Yes she was an outspoken, independent figure that reveled in being true to herself. I think that is a mark of intelligence. Often quoted "but I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature has somehow given them a lowdown dirty deal and whose feelings are all hurt about it. Even in the helter-skelter skirmish that is my life, I have seen that the world is to the strong regardless of a little pigmentation more or less. No, I do not weep at the world-I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife" (153).
The "Pet" Negro System needs to read in its entirety.
The fiction section is by far my favorite. This was my first read of The Gilded Six Bits and Moses, Man of the Mountain. My last read of Their Eyes Were Watching God was last year (I think). I've always been so focused on Janie's growth, I didn't realize the depictions of Black women and men could be seen as less than flattering if one is fixated on presenting a version of people without blemishes. What I aim to do when I reread Their Eyes Were Watching God is consider how this work is a reflection of life (like it or not) and how things have changed or not. "There are years that ask questions and years that answer. Janie had had no chance to know things, so she had to ask. Did marriage end the cosmic loneliness of the unmated? Did marriage compel love like the sun the day?" (246) My answer to this is no...but I understand why Janie would ask, which means Hurston is a gifted writer.
January 26, 2014
This collection of Zora Neale Hurston's work is divided into 3 parts: autobiography, folklore and reportage; essays and articles; and fiction. I was most interested in part 1 and part 3 (though I didn't read the excerpts from her novels because I want to give them a go on their own.) I only recently became aware of her work because I'm trying to put together a list of early modernist writers, and I have to say I loved the short stories in this collection, particularly "Sweat" and "the Gilded Six-bits". She is a great writer, and I love the way she works in the dialogue. I will be using those in my teaching this year for sure.
May 2, 2014
I bought an old, stained paperback copy of this book from a street stand near Washington Square Park and couldn't put it down. I learned a great deal about this important American original who wasn't recognized in her lifetime. Her perspective on her own life and time was clearly divergent from the mainstream. I loved reading her investigations into American Black folklore as well as Caribbean folklore, and hope to find collections of it somewhere. I also now need to read Their Eyes Were Watching God.
July 30, 2007
This is a beautiful collection of short writings (fiction, folklore, autobiographical) from the author of "Their Eyes Were Watching God." I love Hurston's style and sense of humour in her fiction, and the wonderful way she weaves her own life story in this book. Plus, how could you not love a book with such a great title?
September 23, 2008
Previously,I had only read Their Eyes Were Watching God. This book is a collection of essays, so far very worth reading. The title alone is compelling. Will post final reaction when I've finished.
I had to return it to the library. I will have to check out again, or buy - I was about 2/3 done. It's well worth a read. I liked reading it an essay at a time.
I had to return it to the library. I will have to check out again, or buy - I was about 2/3 done. It's well worth a read. I liked reading it an essay at a time.
September 20, 2014
The short stories were delightful, especially the Eatonville stories. However, I was disappointed to find that the anthology was mostly excerpts. I would have enjoyed reading more of Ms. Hurston's essays and musings.
November 30, 2017
Some incredible writing here. A mix of autobiography, folklore, reportage, essays (and these are phenomenal), as well as fiction. A damn shame that an author as important as she was, especially in the 20th century, died in a welfare home and is buried in an unmarked pauper's grave.
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