Textual dynamics is the dynamic interplay between the text and responder, and how this necessarily becomes a relationship between the writer and the reader rather than just the text. It forces us to question whether or not the barrier between fiction and reality is breached. And if the work is real, can it still be considered a work of art? And if it is fake can it be considered real?
The texts, 'Orlando ' by Sally Potter and 'Sula ' by Toni Morrison are both, in a sense, biographies of fictional people, challenging traditional values and gender constructs. While Italo Calvino’s novel ‘If on a winter’s night a traveller’ and Marc Forster’s film ‘Stranger than Fiction’ examine and reimagine the relationships between author, reader and text.
‘Sula’ experiments with traditional forms blurring reality and fiction through the representation of a fictional character’s life using a fragmented biography. The fragmentation of the narrative is portrayed, similarly to ‘Orlando’, through the frequent jumping between timeframes, “1919” “1920”, disrupting the linear progression. This forces the reader to engage with and interpret the text rather than the composer. The narrative alternates between different perspectives seamlessly, “She dragged herself” “Plum on the rim….momma, she sure was somethin’” possessing a sort of stylistic ingenuity that makes ‘Sula’ a textually dynamic novel. Morrison uses the stream of consciousness “twenty two years old wear hot frightened …he didn’t even know who or what he was…” to express the flow of a characters thoughts and feelings, aspiring to give readers the impression of being inside the mind of the character which in turn establishes an intimate relationship between the text and the reader. Conversations between texts can be is woven throughout the novel, most notably the character ‘Eve’ who constantly adopts lost children and borders alluding to “the mother of all things” and Eve from the bible. These allusions to other texts relies on the reader to have read them to form an understanding and hence an intimate relationship between the author and reader. Due
In the very first line of the book, “You are about to begin reading …” the use of second person to directly address the reader and use of self-reflexitivity to prompt the reader to engage with the impending ‘novel proper’ creates an initial intimate bond between the composer and reader. However, the use of second person is quickly discarded and ‘you’ is revealed to be a fictionalized character. Reflecting Baudrillard’s ‘Simulacra and Simulation’, The multiple layers of reality also serve to deceive the reader into believing that there is an impending “novel proper”, until our perception of what is real and fictional are indiscernable. This deceptive fabrication is shown in the first incipit: the focal character is no longer “you”, but is instead “someone looking through befogged glass.” Hence, ‘If on a winter’s night a traveller’ scrutinises literature in a metatextual manner often blurring reality and fiction, transforming the modern novel and through doing so surprises and delights
Erdich , Louise “The Red Convertible” 1984.Schalfel and Ridl 126 – 133. Schakel, Pete, and Jack Ridl. Eds. Approaching Literature Reading + Thinking + Writing. 3rd Ed. Boston: Bedford/ St Martin, 2011. Sprint.
The Unhealthy Relationship of Sula and Nel Organisms in nature rely on one another for their well being. However, sometimes those organisms become greedy and decide to take in the relationship, instead of sharing with their symbiotic partner. Through this action, it takes on parasitic characteristics. In Toni Morrison's work, Sula, Sula Peace and Nel Wright demonstrate how a symbiotic relationship goes awry. When one and relationship, which causes Sula to wither away. In the midst of her death, Sula finally realizes that she needs the symbiotic relationship with Nel to survive. The interactions between Sula and Nel began symbiotically; however, it develops into a parasitic one with the dependence of Sula on Nel. The symbiotic nature between Sula and Nel began during their adolescent years. Sula depended upon Ne dislikes her disheveled house, and wishes that she could live in the clean house of Nel's. Nel likes the homeliness of Sula's house. As their relationship progressed, they began to act as an individual, or a symbiotic relationship where "associations are peaceful.cooperations between two entirely different types of organisms" (Simon 13). Symbiosis describes the friend's relationship, because they depended on each Little, by throwing him into a river, Nel stuck by Sula. They both took responsibility for the accident, even though Sula was the only participant. At Chicken Little's funeral, "[Sula and Nel] held hands and knew that only the coffin would lie in the earth; the bubbly laughter would stay aboveground [with them] forever" (Morrison 66). Through this incident, Nel acts like "the poisonous tentacles of a sea an The change of the relationship from symbiotic to parasitic begins with Sula's return to the Bottoms, signaled by the immense number of robins that entered the town. Just like Sula, the appearance of the robins came as a surprise to everyone except Nel. Nel understood this natural phenomenon signaled the beginning of a string of unexpected events brought on by Sula's return 95). Their relationship dwindled when Sula left to find a more prosperous life. She did not think that she needed the friendship that Nel bestowed upon her, but she did. Without Nel, she had numerous parasitic relationships with men, in order to replace the symbiotic relationship that she lost when she left Nel in the Bottoms. Sula needed fulfillment, and she gave Nel fulfillment, and vice versa. Betrayal lead to the separation of the symbiotic relationship between Nel and Sula. However, "The efficient parasite does not seriously harm its host through its individual activities" (Simon 15). Jude, Throughout this order of events, Sula was confused. They had always shared men, and Sula did not understand why she could not share Nel's husband too. They were best friends who shared everything. Why was the situation different now? Now Nel's " thighs were truly empty and dead too, and it was Sula who had taken the life from them" (Morrison 110-111). Sula took Nel's a new man. Ajax. Ajax was "a heroic warrior in mythological stories. During the Trojan War, he was second only to Achilles in bravery. When Achilles was killed, Ajax demanded his armor for himself, instead it was given to Odysseus. Ajax went crazy and committed suicide by falling upon his sword" (O'Neill 82). Sul knew that the relationship between them would eventually turn parasitic. He would not be a good symbiotic partner for Sula. The man that Sula had clung to for protection left quickly without so much as a note. She said after he left, "I didn't even know his name. And if I didn't know his name, then there is nothing I did know and I have known nothing ever at all since.  kill herself.
In the book Sula by Toni Morrison, Morrison’s ambiguous link between good, evil, and guilt, she is able to show that these terms are relative to each other and often occur mutually. In her comparison of good and evil, Sula states that "Being good to somebody is just like being mean to somebody. Risky. You don't get nothing for it" (145). Good and evil are being compared as if they are equal and that is how the book is structured. For instance, Eva's burning of Plum is a complex conjunction of motherly love and practicality and cannot be described as simply being a good act or a bad one. The killing of Chicken Little is a similarly ambiguous situation from which Sula and Nel's feelings are unclear. Lastly Sula, upon her death bed, questions what it means to be good and suggests that it what may be considered bad could in reality be good. Both in the syncopated style of Morrison's writing and the morally ambiguous portrayal of characters, cause the reader to question morals and think about them on a larger scale.
Sula by Toni Morrison is a compelling novel about a unique, self-confident woman. As in many other books, each secondary character in the story serves as a vehicle to explain the main character. Hannah, Sula's mother, is dominated by the element of air; she is free spirited, frivolous and child-like. On the other hand, the element of fire is prevalent in Sula, who is impulsive, hot-tempered and passionate. Despite the differences between the two, Hannah's lifestyle intrigues and influences her daughter. The effect Hannah has on Sula is reflected in many of her daughter's perspectives and actions. As a result of the ubiquitous presence of fire within her, in contrast to her mother's blithe spirit, Sula carries all of Hannah's immorality and actions to a more extreme level. Both women have promiscuous tendencies, do not have close friendships with women, and become easily irritated by Eva. The difference is that Sula's fiery character leads her to act more cruelly than her mother.
The lack of support and affection protagonists, Sula Peace and Nel Wright, causes them to construct their lives on their own without a motherly figure. Toni Morrison’s novel, Sula, displays the development of Sula and Nel through childhood into adulthood. Before Sula and Nel enter the story, Morrison describes the history of the Peace and Wright family. The Peace family live abnormally to their town of Medallion, Ohio. Whereas the Wrights have a conventional life style, living up to society’s expectations.The importance of a healthy mother-daughter relationship is shown through the interactions of Eva and Hannah Peace, Hannah and Sula, and between Helene Wright and Nel. When Sula and Nel become friends they realize the improper parenting they
Toni Morrison’s novel Sula is rich with paradox and contradiction from the name of a community on top of a hill called "Bottom" to a family full of discord named "Peace." There are no clear distinctions in the novel, and this is most apparent in the meaning of the relationship between the two main characters, Sula and Nel. Although they are characterized differently, they also have many similarities. Literary critics have interpreted the girls in several different ways: as lesbians (Smith 8), as the two halves of a single person (Coleman 145), and as representations of the dichotomy between good and evil (Bergenholtz 4 of 9). The ambiguity of these two characters allows for infinite speculation, but regardless of how the reader interprets the relationship their bond is undeniable. The most striking example of their connection occurs right before the accidental death of Chicken Little. In the passage preceding his death, Nel and Sula conduct an almost ceremonial commitment to one another that is sealed permanently when "the water darkened and closed quickly over the place where Chicken Little sank" (Morrison 61):
-Toni Morrison uses strong diction to resonate the central message that the most unexpected people/places have the deepest meaning in life. In the novel it states,“ In the safe harbor of each other’s company they could afford to abandon the ways of other people and concentrate on their own perceptions of things.” (Morrison, 55) Toni Morrison shows how they were important in helping each other understand the world around them. By the author using the word abandon, she displays how they needed to escape the world when it came to focusing on their relationship. She could have easily used “they left the world” but by using the word abandon it adds more depth to just how powerful they were to one another. Toni Morrison used perceptions to help relate to the powerful bond of their friendship. In the novel, Sula and Nel saw things very different. Sula perceived the world with its imperfections by rebelling against society. Nel perceived the world in a warped sense and felt the need to follow society’s rules. Sula was an unexpected force in Nel’s life, which impacted her view on the world and her future.
Conformity and defying social norms were a common theme this week. In Toni Morrison’s book Sula, Sula Peace actively opposes gender roles. She does this by doing what she would like to do without the burden of her town’s expectations. Sula enjoyed sex and disregarded all of the opinions of the townspeople around committing adultery. Eli commented that it was even more unacceptable in that time period, but Sula’s main priority is being authentic. Even though she urged men to cheat she was still a risk taker and lived spontaneously, which was even more forbidden for a black woman and like Lauren said, the men were also to blame, not just Sula. Not many people in the Bottom share that trait because they are afraid of social isolation. For example, Nel didn’t stray far from the status quo due to her upbringing. Nel’s mother taught her to be proper and follow the set of rules given to her. Her mother often reminded her to “pull her nose” (28) so Nel could have a more appealing nose. On the other hand, Sula lived in an unconventional household with a constant flow of different people coming and going out of the house. Since she was not exposed to a father figure, she was not tainted by patriarchal expectations of the genders. She didn’t witness
In the history of written literature, it is difficult not to notice the authors who expand their reader's style and manner of reading. Some write in an unusual syntax which forces the reader to utilize new methods of looking at a language; others employ lengthy allusions which oblige the reader to study the same works the author drew from in order to more fully comprehend the text. Some authors use ingenious and complicated plots which warrant several readings to be understood. But few authors have used all these and still more devices to demand more of the reader. James Joyce, writer of Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, uses extraordinarily inventive and intricate plot construction, creative and often thought-provoking word constructions, allusions to works both celebrated and recondite, and complex issues and theories when challenging his readers to expand their method of reading.
As much as society does not want to admit, violence serves as a form of entertainment. In media today, violence typically has no meaning. Literature, movies, and music, saturated with violence, enter the homes of millions everyday. On the other hand, in Beloved, a novel by Toni Morrison, violence contributes greatly to the overall work. The story takes place during the age of the enslavement of African-Americans for rural labor in plantations. Sethe, the proud and noble protagonist, has suffered a great deal at the hand of schoolteacher. The unfortunate and seemingly inevitable events that occur in her life, fraught with violence and heartache, tug at the reader’s heart-strings. The wrongdoings Sethe endures are significant to the meaning of the novel.
In Toni Morrison’s novel Sula, the theme of the story is good versus evil. It’s embodied into the story in various forms to question what defines right and wrong. Good versus evil is presented in forms that are understood on the surface and beneath the surface which gives it multiple meanings. The relationship between Sula and Nel is the main expression of this theme, however, there are also many other contributors such as color schemes, gender and race differences, and life and death. This theme sheds light on the significance and interpretation of issues of everyday reality which includes controversies related to identity struggles, super natural forces, the impact and relevance of upbringing on development, family structure, and racism. Morrison demonstrates the importance of good versus evil with her writing in the way that she overlaps them and interprets them as products of one another. The friendship of Sula and Nel creates a presence of good and evil within their relationship to each other and their community.
Novels for Students. Presenting Analysis, Context and Criticism on Commonly Studied Novels. Detroit, MI: Gale Group, 1999. Print.
In November of 1973 Toni Morrison published Sula. This writing was written during the era of the Contemporary Literary Period, Black Aesthetic Movement, and the Women 's Era. The Black Aesthetic Movement happened during 1965 through 1976. Currently the Contemporary Period and the Women’s Era began in the 1970s and is still going on today. During the Contemporary Literary Period some of the themes focused on are race, gender, the complexity of the black race, and a new entrance in black history. The Black Aesthetic Movement mainly focused on the love of blackness.Smith, David, and "Black Arts Movement." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. 2008. "Black Arts Movement." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 2006. Web.
There are many aspects of story that come together to create a complete narrative. A lot of the tools used by writers are intentional and serve the purpose of driving home certain aspects of the story or creating and engaging, and entertaining narrative. Toni Morrison—the author of Sula—is no different. Morrison employs many writing techniques and tools in her narrative Sula. It is important for the reader to be aware of and understand some of these narrative tools that the author uses because it allows the reader to gain a better understanding and appreciation for the narrative. In Sula a few narrative techniques that allow for the argument of women experiences to shine through are the use of a third person narrator, and gaps; throughout the story these tools allow the reader to become interested in and focus in on women experiences.
can be identified that Morrison relates violence to oppression. In this case, he asserts that women oppress the society because they do not support its progress.