How a forgotten masterpiece reclaimed its place in the literary canon
In short: Zora Neale Hurston's most famous work was once dismissed by the very community it represents. Today, it is a cornerstone of American literature, tracing Janie Crawford's journey from a voiceless teenager to a woman claiming her own destiny.
Published in 1937, 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' is a seminal work of the Harlem Renaissance. The novel follows Janie Crawford, an African-American woman in her forties, as she returns to her hometown to recount her life story to her friend Phoeby. Her narrative begins with a pivotal sexual awakening, a moment Janie compares to a pear tree blossoming in the spring. This awakening is triggered by a local boy named Johnny Taylor. This significant event is witnessed by Janie's grandmother, Nanny.
Despite its current status as a foundational text in college courses for gender and African American studies, the novel's reception was initially rocky. It was poorly received by the African-American community upon its release. It wasn't until the mid-1970s and 1980s, following Alice Walker's writing in Ms. magazine and Robert Hemenway's biography of Hurston, that the author regained her literary standing. The novel's resurgence helped establish its importance in both women's literature and African-American studies. Time magazine even included it in a prestigious list of the best English-language novels from the twentieth century.
The writing process was intense; Hurston described feeling under internal pressure while composing the book in Haiti over just seven weeks. Though she later expressed a wish that she could write it again, she noted that the work successfully captured the full tenderness of her passion. The author actually composed the entire manuscript in Haiti. She felt the final product perfectly reflected her deepest emotions.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Their Eyes Were Watching God: Crash Course Literature 301
- Also: Their Eyes Were Watching God
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