Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Major/Program
English
First Advisor's Name
Heather Andrade
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Chair
Second Advisor's Name
Tometro Hopkins
Third Advisor's Name
Carmela McIntire
Date of Defense
7-20-2004
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to examine a classic text - DuBose Heyward's Porgy (1925) - associated with Southern Literature in relation to its connections to the Gullah culture and language. Close critical scrutiny was made of the 1925 text, two early manuscripts, manuscript fragments, revisions, research notes, and other personal papers from Heyward's estate. Access to these papers helped establish his influences and motivations in writing Porgy.
Employing both linguistic and literary analyses, the findings establish the verisimilitude of Heyward's representation of the Gullah language, rhetorical patterns, culture, beliefs, and practices, linking Porgy to a Gullah literary tradition.
Examination of Heyward's life and times reveals why Porgy sits squarely within the early 20th Century literary genre, African American Literary Realism and thematically anticipates the Harlem Renaissance period. Breaking the mold of the "old South" minstrel-syle depictions of black life, Heyward portrayed the Gullah people with integrity and respect.
Identifier
FI15101261
Recommended Citation
Eberly, Charlene, ""Across the colour wall:" Gullah linguistic and literary representations in Dubose Heyward's Porgy" (2004). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3112.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3112
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