Tessa Roynon

In this volume, Roynon explores Toni Morrison's widespread engagement with ancient Greek and Roman tradition. Discussing all ten of her published novels to date, Roynon examines the ways in which classical myth, literature, history, social practice, and religious ritual make their presence felt in Morrison's writing. Combining original and detailed close readings with broader theoretical discussion, she argues that Morrison's classical allusiveness is characterized by a strategic ambivalence. Adopting a thematic, rather than novel-by-novel approach, Roynon demonstrates that Morrison's classicism is fundamental to the transformative critique of American history and culture that her work effects. Building on recent developments in race theory, transnational studies, and Classical Reception studies, the volume positions Morrison within a genealogy of intellectuals who have challenged the purported conservative nature of Greek and Roman tradition, and who have revealed its construction as a 'white' or pure and purifying force to be a fabrication of the Enlightenment. Exploring the ways in which Morrison's dialogue with Homer, Aeschylus, Euripides, Virgil, and Ovid relates to her simultaneous dialogue with many other American literary forebears - from Cotton Mather to Willa Cather, or from Pauline Hopkins to F.Scott Fitzgerald and William Faulkner - Roynon shows that Morrison's classicism enables her to fulfil her own imperative that 'the past has to be revised'.

Explores the importance and complexity of classical allusiveness in the modern American novelExploresboth the sheer extent and the ideologically-invested nature of classical allusiveness in the modern American novelSheds significant new light on canonical and often-taught major American novelistsSynthesizes and builds on existing research to demonstrate how a proper understanding of each writer's classical allusiveness contributes to broad debates about modernism and postmodernism, intertextuality and the history and categorization of the American novelDraws on the methodologies and insights of Classical Reception studies as well as American studies, and makes an invaluable contribution to both fieldsIncludes a user-friendly glossary that explains all the classical names, concepts and words This book is an invaluable survey of the allusions to ancient Greek and Roman culture in the work of seven major modern American novelists: Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Philip Roth and Marilynne Robinson. Making the classical world accessible to all readers, it combines new close readings of three key texts by each author with overviews of the essential prior scholarship in the field. It also builds on archival research in documenting the nature and extent of each author's own familiarity with classical literature and languages.

Explores the importance and complexity of classical allusiveness in the modern American novelExploresboth the sheer extent and the ideologically-invested nature of classical allusiveness in the modern American novelSheds significant new light on canonical and often-taught major American novelistsSynthesizes and builds on existing research to demonstrate how a proper understanding of each writer's classical allusiveness contributes to broad debates about modernism and postmodernism, intertextuality and the history and categorization of the American novelDraws on the methodologies and insights of Classical Reception studies as well as American studies, and makes an invaluable contribution to both fieldsIncludes a user-friendly glossary that explains all the classical names, concepts and words This book is an invaluable survey of the allusions to ancient Greek and Roman culture in the work of seven major modern American novelists: Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Philip Roth and Marilynne Robinson. Making the classical world accessible to all readers, it combines new close readings of three key texts by each author with overviews of the essential prior scholarship in the field. It also builds on archival research in documenting the nature and extent of each author's own familiarity with classical literature and languages.

Toni Morrison has written some of the most significant and demanding fiction of the modern age. Her dazzling depictions of African-American experience are studied in high schools and colleges, debated in the media and analyzed by scholars at an astounding rate. This Introduction offers readers a guide to the world of Morrison in all its complexity, from her status as a key player on the global intellectual stage to her unique perspective on American history and her innovative narrative techniques. Covering every novel from The Bluest Eye to A Mercy, Tessa Roynon combines close readings with critical insights into Morrison's other creative work, such as short stories, libretto and song lyrics and unpublished pieces for performance. Lively and accessibly written, Roynon's insightful text is ideal for readers approaching Morrison for the first time as well as those familiar with her work.

This short study guide tells you all you need to know about Toni Morrison's Beloved. Connell Guides are advanced guide books that offer sophisticated analysis and broad critical perspectives for higher-level GCSE and A Level English Literature students.