The Color Purple / Literary Criticism Analysis
Instructions
1. Choose one of the following titles from Michael Mayer’s
anthology of essays on The Color Purple. You will see this link
under the “Color Purple Essays” on Schoolrack. Print out that
essay only, as well as the abstract (a paragraph summary of
the ideas presented in the essay) and the biography of the
author, located below the abstracts.
Brenda R. Smith’s Rendering the (Womanist) Hero
Tracy L. Bealer’s Love and (Womanist) Resistance
Raphael Lambert’s Womanist Folk Tale and Captitalist Fairy Tale
Patricia Andrujo’s Rendering the African American Woman’s God
Marlon Moore’s Pleasure Principal and Homo-Spirituality in Shug’s Blueswoman Theology
Erin Huskey’s Witnessing and Testifying: Transformed Language and Selves
Courtney’ George’s The Triumph of Womanist Blues Over Blues Violence
Robin E Field’s Alice Walker’s Revisionary Politics of Rape
Uplabdhi Sangwan’s Significance of Sisterhood
Danielle Russell’s Transformative Spaces
Turgay Bayindir’s A House of Her Own
Kathryn Edney’s Adapting and Integrating
Ping Zhou’s A Narrative Analysis of The Color Purple
2. Read and annotate the bio, abstract, and essay—in that order.
3. Type a 2-3 page response to the following prompt:
In his forward, Michael Mayer says, “It is my hope that (these essays) will foster not only
renewed interest in The Color Purple, but that each will bring forth fresh interpretations
and will open doors to heretofore silenced voices. In this atmosphere, a healthy
interchange of criticism can develop, one that will allow even dissent and opposite
viewpoints to be expressed without fear that such stances may be seen as negative or
counterproductive.” Did the analysis that you read succeed in bringing forth a “fresh
interpretation” of Alice Walker’s work? How did the writer engage your interest in the
novel, and how did s/he contribute to your understanding of this crucial text?
Embed at least three supporting quotes from both the analysis and the novel (a total of 6).
Include an introduction that establishes your thesis, a conclusion that offers a final insight
that is relevant to what you have already said, and an interesting, relevant title. See
rubric, available on Schooolrack.com.
4. Submit your paper to Turnitin.com by or before Monday, April 20,
9:00 P.M., and your annotations on Tuesday, April 21.
.