Okay wow, Toni Morrison's writing in Beloved is one of the most beautiful and elegant pieces of literature I've read. Beloved is not just a novel, it's a piece of art. The words and imagery in each scene bring the book to life, even with all of its time and perspective changes. After each of our nightly readings I've been left in an awestruck daze. Morrison's writing is a journey, but one that I can't make sense of.
The multiple perspective changes throughout each chapter, and sometimes on a single page are quite interesting, but also make it much more difficult to follow and enjoy the story. I find myself having to reread passages because I'm confused on if something is taking place in the past or present, or if a person is a human or a ghost.
I think more writers should strive to perfect the craft of storytelling to Morrison's degree, it's a story within a story, within a story. I only wish I had a clearer timeline of what is going on in the story so that I could focus more on reading into each character, and how they're being developed throughout the novel.
I agree with you Jace on both points. I feel like the dazed comes with the confused though. Although her alluding to past events we don't know about can be confusing I feel it also gives us a clearer view of how the character's, and for that matter our, brains function. Not always making clear connections and differentiating past from present. I feel like more and more we are familiar with her memories as they keep being retold.
ReplyDeleteI really relate to this. I feel like I could read Morrison's writing over and over again and still find new things every time. She is truly a gifted writer. I am specifically in awe by how fluidly she transitions between reality, memories, and point of view. This book is a lot to follow, but totally worth it. I am completely obsessed.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this. I find the writing equally as beautiful but also find it difficult to keep up with sometimes. The story is so complex because it holds multiple other stories within it and again I agree, rereading is beneficial to understanding it.
ReplyDeleteI also agree but I don't really have a desire to understand everything right now. Confusing books can be nice because I feel like it makes me focus on little things more than just characters and theme and plot. Also I bet I'll wanna read this again and It'll be cool to read everything again with a better understanding later on.
ReplyDeleteYeah! This book is actual art. I've totally noticed how Morrison constantly changes tenses, and he keeps on doing flashbacks. Though this form of writing is hard to understand what is going on, it adds history to each character. It gives me an idea of what someone has done in the past, and gives me my own opinion on someone instead of the novel's. I really liked that you mentioned this, and I look forward to dissecting this piece of art as we keep reading.
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