LibGuides: MDC 102: Making of the Modern Mind II: Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston

File:Zora Neale Hurston (1938).jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Dates: 1891-1960

Nationality: American

Activities:

Ethnologist

Poet

Novelist

Playwright

Literary Movements:

Harlem Renaissance

Modernism

Southern Renaissance

Literary Periods:

Modernist Period, 1899-1945

Postwar Period, 1945-1999

Twentieth Century, 1900-1999

"Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose."

Zora Neale Hurston: A Heart with Room for Every Joy
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This illuminating biography of Hurston—a compelling story of a free spirit who achieved national prominence yet died in obscurity—examines the rich legacy of her writings. 42 mins.

These streaming videos discuss Zora Neale Hurston and her works. Click on the links to view them.

Novel Reflections on the American Dream
Segments 13-17.
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This program draws on insightful commentary from literary scholars and authors to examine the characters, plots, and themes of seven American novels that deal with wealth, poverty, and the nature of success and failure in the U.S
Leaving the South: Zora and Tom
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Zora Neale Hurston and Thomas Wolfe were two wildly talented Southern writers who moved North in order to write. Hurston's writing is enormously energetic.

The following links from our databases provide articles with analysis and criticism of Zora Neale Hurston's novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God.

For more articles, check out the databases listed on the Literature page.

An Overview of Their Eyes Were Watching God
Domina, Lynn. "An Overview of Their Eyes Were Watching God." Literature Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Literature Resource Center. Web.
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Cupp, Jeff. "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Masterplots II: African American Literature, Revised Edition (2008): 1-3. MagillOnLiterature Plus. Web.
The Compelling Ambivalence of Zora Neale Hurston's 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'
Ramsey, William M. "The Compelling Ambivalence of Zora Neale Hurston's 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'." The Southern Literary Journal 27.1 (1994): 36+. Literature Resource Center. Web.
The Confluence of Folklore, Feminism and Black Self-Determination in Zora Neale Hurston's 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'
Crabtree, Claire. "The Confluence of Folklore, Feminism and Black Self-Determination in Zora Neale Hurston's 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'." The Southern Literary Journal 17.2 (Spring 1985): 54-66. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Roger Matuz and Cathy Falk. Vol. 61. Detroit: Gale Research, 1990. Literature Resource Center. Web.
Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Critical Companion
Jones, Sharon L. "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Critical Companion to Zora Neale Hurston: A Literary Reference to Her Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Web.

These sites provide reliable, valid information about Zora Neale Hurston and her work.

The Official Website of Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston is considered one of the pre-eminent writers of twentieth-century African-American literature.
Zora Neale Hurston
Their Eyes Were Watching God: Readers' Guide, About the Author
National Endowment for the Arts. Click on related links for more information about the work.
Their Eyes Were Watching God: Discussion at Countee Cullen Library, Harlem, NYC
C-Span discussion of Zora Neale Hurston's novel, 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' and its portrayal of African-American and women's culture.
Reading Guide on 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'
Guide and links from Harper-Collins Publishers.
Zora Neale Hurston News
Articles from the New York Times and a list of resources from around the web about Zora Neale Hurston as selected by researchers and editors of The New York Times.
Zora Neale Hurston Digital Archive: University of Central Florida
Resource material from the Center for Humanities and Digital Research and the Department of English, University of Central Florida.
Zora Neale Hurston, the WPA in Florida, and the Cross City Turpentine Camp
Zora Neale Hurston was already a published writer when she began working for the Florida division of the Work Projects Administration (WPA). Hurston never mentioned her work with the Federal Writer's Project in her autobiography, perhaps because of the stigma associated with the WPA's relief programs.

Zora Neale Hurston, Through Family Eyes
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Produced by NPR, 2004.
Zora Neale Hurston
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Podcasts about Zora Neal Hurston from NPR.
NEA The Big Read: Their Eyes Were Watching God
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Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God audio guide is narrated by David Kipen and features Ruby Dee, Robert Hemenway, Carla Kaplan, Bret Lott, Azar Nafisi, Jerry Pinkney and Alice Walker.

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