Motherlove in Shades of Black: The Maternal Psyche in the Novels of African American Women PDF
Preview Motherlove in Shades of Black: The Maternal Psyche in the Novels of African American Women
Motherlove in Shades of Black This page intentionally left blank Motherlove in Shades of Black The Maternal Psyche in the Novels of African American Women GLORIA THOMAS PILLOW Foreword by Geneva Smitherman McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London Abridged variations of a portion of the material in chapters 1, 2, and 6 appeared as articles with the following titles under the author’s former name, Gloria T. Randle, in the following publica- tions, respectively: “Between the Rock and the Hard Place: Mediating Spaces in Harriet Jacobs’ Incidentsin the Life of a Slave Girl.” African American Review, winter 1999; 23 pp. “Mates, Marriage, and Motherhood: Feminist Visions in Pauline Hopkins’ ContendingForces.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, Vol. 18, No. 2, fall 1999; 26 pp. “‘Knowing When to Stop’: Loving and Living Small in the Slave World of Beloved.” CLA Journal, Vol. XLI, no. 3, spring 1998; 21pp. LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA Pillow, Gloria Thomas. Motherlove in shades of black : the maternal psyche in the novels of African American women / Gloria Thomas Pillow ; foreword by Geneva Smitherman. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7864-3533-3 softcover : 50# alkaline paper 1. American fiction—African American authors–History and criticism. 2. American fiction—Women authors—History and criticism. 3. African American mothers in literature. 4. Love, Maternal, in literature. 5. Mother and child in literature. 6. African American mothers—Psychology. I. Title. PS153.N5P53 2010 813'.0093552—dc22 2010017289 British Library cataloguing data are available ©2010 Gloria Thomas Pillow. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Front cover: Linda Carole. Mother Love. Acrylic on upholstery fabric. 20" | 30". 2003. Manufactured in the United States of America McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com To Mom and Dad, loved and treasured beyond words. This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments Thank you, God, for bountiful blessings. Deepest thanks to my extraordinary family, including extended and new family, and to my cherished circle of friends—who, together, compose the finest support system anyone could have. Mom and dad, your exquisite motherlove and fatherlove have enriched countless lives. Thanks to sisters Margaret and Patricia for constant encouragement and Claudia, fearless and thoughtful editor. Angie, Grace, Lish, Rufus—your gifts were essential. Thank you, Cameron High School in Nashville, Tennessee, and (then–) Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia, for essential lessons in and out of school and for wonderful times, whose memories and imprint will last a lifetime. Thanks to the University of Chicago for a rich postgraduate experi- ence—those seven years just flew by! Thank you, Professors Elizabeth Alexander, Ken Warren, and, especially, Bill Veeder for excellent guidance. Thanks, MIKE: you were a great study group. I am so appreciative for the interaction with my students in years past, especially at Michigan State University, who kept the dialogue, the ques- tioning, and the thinking fresh and dynamic. Geneva, generous spirit, you and your exceptional writing inspire me. Claudith, you are an enduring blessing. Phil, you’ve always been there, all my life. Thank you to Dr. Jimmy Graham and Dr. Christopher Holloway, for helping me to meet health challenges with some measure of grace. Thomas, my heart: life with you is golden. vii This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments vii Foreword by Geneva Smitherman 1 Introduction 3 1. Linda Brent: Through a Glass, Darkly 9 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl 2. Sappho Clark: Double Exposure 36 Contending Forces 3. Irene Redfield: Smoke and Mirrors 63 Passing 4. Maud Martha: Gray, Lined in Silver 87 Maud Martha 5. Celie: Emergent Light 111 The Color Purple 6. Sethe: Beyond the Pale 138 Beloved Chapter Notes 169 Bibliography 177 Index 187 ix
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