Murky Water, Fluid, and The Borderlands of Language: An Exploration of Toni Morrison’s Beloved

Author(s)

Julia K. Hall, University of Dayton

Advisor

Rebecca Potter, Ph.D.

Department

English

Publication Date

4-2018

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Abstract

Centered on Toni Morrison's Beloved and her process of writing the novel, this thesis links the crossing of a river, the birthing of a child, and the creation of a text. By drawing upon theories of composition, motherhood, and genre theory, this exploration of Beloved balances discussion of writing process, genre, and textual analysis. Buttressed by a complimentary text, Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, the connection between creation of identity and body through the gestation period and birthing of a text is reflected in Morrison’s own process. The revolutionary splash Beloved made in the field of literary scholarship—and Morrison’s success as a novelist and a scholar—demonstrates the significance and necessity of subverting expectations and crossing when undergoing or performing a birthing/writing process.

Permission Statement

This item is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and may only be used for noncommercial, educational, and scholarly purposes

Keywords

Undergraduate research

Disciplines

English Language and Literature

eCommons Citation

Hall, Julia K., "Murky Water, Fluid, and The Borderlands of Language: An Exploration of Toni Morrison’s Beloved" (2018). Honors Theses. 159.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/uhp_theses/159