There you go, Twilight fans! Don't say I never did anything for you. As you can see from Hurston's bio picture, this is a woman with style! Anyone who can pull off a hat with a feather is impressive in my book. But, now, speaking of Hurston's book, what do you notice about her writing style? As you may have noticed, there is a topic involving comparing Hurston's style to Hemingway's style. This is a rather broad topic, so I'll try to help narrow it down a bit.
When addressing the style of each author, you may choose to analyze the diction, or word choice, of each. (Is the word choice formal or informal? Does the author write in a way that is imagistic and poetic or rather terse and straightforward?)
Other ideas to consider: Does the author use dialect? Long or short sentences? Lots of dialogue or not so much? Is there anything else that stands out about the author's style? What sort of atmosphere, tone, or mood is each writer able to create? How are the writers similar and different in these areas? Also, what impact or effect does the author's style have on the novel? Does the style help the readers to understand the time period or culture? Does the style tend to alienate readers or draw them in to the story? Does the narrator seem to have a particular bias or philosophy that spills onto the page?
*These are questions to think about for the essay topic. For this post, feel free to stick to Hurston's style and we'll save Hemingway for later. (Unless you've already read both novels...in which case I now appoint you Most Impressive Person of June. Anyone?)
Zora Neale Hurston has a very unique writing style in her novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God." The author chooses a very informal diction and southern dialect- she spells everything out exactly how it would sound- when the character speak. There is quite a bit of dialogue throughout the novel. The sentences vary length- some are only a few words, while other seem to go on and on. A variety of imagery and poetic sections can be found throughout the novel. In chapter two, while descring a tree Janie was fascinated with as a child, Hurston describes, "She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight." Hurston's writing style really helps to engage the reader.
ReplyDeleteZora Neale Hurtson uses dialect and informal diction to create a more interesting story for the reader. The use of southern dialect transports the reader into a time and place very different than the present. By using this dialect in all of the dialogue, along with informal diction, the reader feels more connected with the characters, setting, and the story as a whole. Hurtson's style can vary in types depending on the mood Hurtson is trying to set within the story. The mood seems to be determined by the main character. Over all Hurtson has a very unique style to call her own.
ReplyDeleteZora Neale Hurston uses southern dialect to enhance the reader’s idea of how they really spoke. The words are spelt exactly how they sound. This creates a unique writing style that is harder to understand, but much more realistic. Hurston does use dialect throughout the novel, but also uses normal dialect. The author is writing in informal writing because of the way the words are spelt and the slang words used. By using the southern dialect it can be a way of understanding what the characters really think and feel at any time of the novel.
ReplyDeleteThe words are definitely spelled exactly like they sound! My sister used to spell everything like that when she was little. It's so weird to think people in the south talk like that.
DeleteZora Neale Hurston's use of southern dialect helps to reveal the culture adopted by the characters in the book. It also makes the book very engaging, especialy when there is an arguement between characters or periods of long diolouge. The dialect also helps the reader to understand the mood that each character is in. The reader does not have to guess when a person is mad, sad, or happy, because the dialect used reflects this blatenly. Hurston also explains each conversation between characters before or after the dialouge. She uses this explanation to describe each character's physical, mental, and emotional traits as well. Another way that Hurston helps to reveal the culture is by the use of nicknames such as "Tea Cake", "Motor Boat", and "Sop-de-Bottom" to name a few.
ReplyDeleteThroughout Hurston's novel, it was full of dialect. The dialect was used to declare important thoughts vital to the evolution of the story line. The style of the dialect had its own personal Southern flavor because it was full of slang and spelling just as the pronunciation, With this sort of atmosphere, I think Hurston was trying to make the reader more comfortable with the characters and the story line. Along with the many instances of dialect, Hurston was sure to use descriptive and sensory details that seemed to poetically paint the scene in the reader's mind and to move along the plot.
ReplyDeleteHurtson's novel was full of southern dialect. It added flavor to the book with southern slang, how she spelled the words like how thy were spelled and a lot of similes. This made you seem to more comfortable with the characters. The dialect made you think about the time and place where each character were from and gave a little more visual of them also. It helped you understand the was the characters were feeling and thinking at the time.
ReplyDeleteHurtson uses the southern dialect to paint a picture in your mind to show you how she though life was supposed to be in this novel. She made it so that the southern 'slag' was spelled just how it sounded. I know for me when I started reading it, it engaged me in the story because I felt like I understood the characters more, and how they were feeling at a certain time.
ReplyDeleteWith only a few chapters remaining to read in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" I feel that I have enjoyed reading this book. Before chapter five significant changes had already occured. An example of these changes are Janie's marriages to Logan Killicks and Joe Starks.
ReplyDeleteThe dialect Zora Neale Hurston has used throughout the book has been challenging to understand, at times. On the other hand, it helps the reader to better understand the book. The narration between the characters conversations gives the reader a break from the dialect. Hurston has done a phenomenal job with description of the character's characteristics and feelings as well as making the reader feel one with the story. I cannot wait to see what happens next!
Zora Neale Hurston uses dialogue quite often. The dialect in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" helps make the novel more realistic and true to the South. The spelling of the words and the way some of the words are pronounced makes the book more authentic. Zora Neale Hurston uses the dialect to immerse the reader in southern culture. It also makes the reader apart of the book and really draws them in. Because of the way the book is written it may be hard to read at times but the style adds to the value of the book.
ReplyDeleteHurston's southern dialect helped you to understand what was happening, it wasn't like you were reading a story about the characters, it was like you were with the characters throughout the entire book, it helped to watch Janie grow with every page turn. Although you couldn't visualize a lot of the things that were happening, you could sense how everything fit together, and where the characters were at all times, without being told the exact location.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Hurston's use of southern dialect really aids in telling the story of Janie's life. I have found it easier to visualize what is happening. There are sometimes however, that I have to reread a passage to understand what she is saying.
ReplyDeleteHurtson uses southern dialect throughout the entire book. This dialect helps the reader feel as if they are closer to the story. It is very informal writing because there is many slang words used in the book. All of this paints a picture for the reader to see what is really going on, but for someone not used to this dialect, it can be challenging to read.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God", Hurston's writing style helped me visualize the lives of her characters. She used a southern dialect and spelled the words how they should be pronounced. Personally, this helped me get into the story. In the beginning, I found it difficult to sound out the words and I had to read slowly but as I got further in, it ended up helping me feel what the characters felt. I was able to see the different characters in my head and make mental pictures of the landscape.
ReplyDeleteHurston used southern dialect in "Their Eyes Were Watching God". Words that we use in every day life looked different, because they are spelled as they sound. It gives like a nostalgic feeling for the south in the 1900s. I think it made the story more interesting in the beginning trying to sound out all the words and read quicker the further I went in the book. With the style of writing, it already adds a southern accent in my head while reading, so it comes natural.
ReplyDeleteI have never read a novel written the same way as “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. Her writing style is very unique and draws the readers in. Down South, everyone has an accent. Hurston made sure to capture that in her writing. She uses very unique dialogue, and when she has the characters speak, the words are spelt exactly how they would sound. This makes you really feel as if you are in the same time and place that the characters are. Sometimes the sentences were short, and other times there were paragraphs composed of just dialect. Along with the unique dialect, the diction is rather informal and easy to understand. At first it took me a while to pick up dialect and being able to pronounce each word. As I got into the book, it started to become more natural and was more interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteThe writing style in “Their Eyes Were Watching God” is very different and unique, but serves a purpose. The novel begins at the end of Janie’s story. It seems to me that Hurtson has two styles of writing in this novel. The narrator of the story (being one style) speaks like we would and full of figurative language; the other characters in the novel such as Janie, Tea Cake, Nanny, and Joe being another. Their voices are southern-dialect and are spelled out how they pronounce their words in the south. This for me makes the novel seem a bit longer than it is because you have to read it in your head with a southern accent.
ReplyDeleteThe style Hurston uses captures the way the characters interact and makes it more interesting and easier to understand their mindset. It varies depending on who is talking, the narrator uses longer and more descriptive words, and the actual characters use Southern dialect and the words are typed exactly as they are pronounced.
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ReplyDeleteHurston's style is very intresting. The southern dialect not only helps paint a great mental picture of the characters and the setting but also makes you feel like you are actually in the story with the charcters, not just reading it. The contrast of the dialect of the characters and the way the narrator speaks gives the book a very unique quality. The writing style helps the reader see how much the charachters grow throughout the entire book.
ReplyDeleteZora Neale Hurston uses dialect to further paint the picture of a southern culture. She slurs words together which adds a sort of southern twang to the dialogue in the novel. This allows you to focus on how they're saying the words and adds depth to the characters. As for the sentences, they vary depending on the part of the book. Some are very long with very strong words while some are very basic with basic word choice. This creates different feels throughout the story keeps the reader on the edge of their chair.
ReplyDeleteIn the book "Their Eyes Were Watching God" Hurston has a very unique writing style. Hurston did a good job with the dialect helping the readers really feel like they are part of the story. The southern dialect helped me connect more to the author while reading the story, realizing that's how the characters actually spoke in her time. At times while reading the words were hard to sound out, but overall it helped me feel like I knew what is was like to be in the South during that time period.
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ReplyDeleteZora Neale Hurston wrote the book "Their Eyes Were Watching God" using dialect that was unique to the time period and area in which it was based. All the dialogue is southern and pretty hard to read. Actually I find myself correcting it as I'm reading, but the rest (narration) is written using perfect grammar, slightly easing my headache. The dialect Hurston uses really gives the book its own character and personality, bringing the book to life inside your head.
ReplyDeleteZora Neale Hurston’s use of sentence structure and pronunciation of words elaborates the time period and emotion of the characters. The southern dialect grabs the reader’s attention to understand the diverse time from today’s society. Hurston’s unique writing style spells out words exactly as they should sound, such as, “It’s uh sin and uh shame runnin’ dat po’ man wat from here lak dat.” This style of writing helps the reader to visualize the unfamiliar setting and interconnect with the characters.
ReplyDeleteThe Dialect used in this story did a nice job of grabbing th reader's attention. I loved how the words were spelled out; they gave me a very good sense of the southern time frame and how people actually acted and talked in that era.The style was indirect but I could easily tell exactly what each character thought or was feeling through the dialogue. The way people talked kept me reading and I loved seeing how the characters evolved throughout the story. The sentence length varied depending on what part of the book you're on.
ReplyDeleteZora Neale Hurston uses a different type of writing style than most authors. In "Their Eyes Were Watching God" the beginning of the book starts at the end of the book. Janie just recaps her life story. Also, southern dialect helped the reader capture the concept of the book and made them feel like they were in that time period. Lastly, the descriptive words that Hurston uses paint a picture for the reader so they can visualize the setting.
ReplyDeleteZora Neale Hurston definitely uses a very different type of writing. She uses a lot of dialect, but compared to most authors its very weird. She spells every word out like the characters would pronounce it. The southern dialect really caught my attention and made me feel more connected to the characters. The words used really help you understand the time period. For example the names; Tea Cake, Motor Boat, Who Flung, and Nunkie. Hurston really does a good job of describing the novel, I always had a clear picture of what was going on.
ReplyDeleteHurston's use of southern dialect made it easier for me to visualize the story being told. I found that her use of southern dialect really aids in the story telling of Janie's life. Her writing was different than most authors which is why it was very interesting to read. The sentence length varies throughout the novel, but each sentence always gave me as much information as I needed throughout the entire book.
ReplyDeleteZora Neale Hurtson's writing style in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" is unique compared to many other authors. Hurtson uses southern dialect when the characters are talking. She also spells the words out exactly as they would be pronounced. When I first started the novel I found it hard to read, but I quickly adjusted to the dialect and found it to be very helpful. It allowed me to understand the time period and get a better feel for the character's culture. I also believe Hurston did a good job of creating the mood of a scene and what each character was feeling. This helped me better comprehend what was going on.
ReplyDeleteHurston's writing style in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" makes it extremely difficult to read because the reader really doesn't know what the character is saying sometimes. The spelling makes it easier to become engrossed into the conversations and makes it so that the reader can hear the voices in their head. Because of the unusual dialect, and grammar the novel kept the reader interested because of the challenges. Sometimes after reading for a while I would find it hard to switch back to reading the narration because it was so different.
ReplyDeleteHurston uses Southern dialect quite often. It's almost strange how when someone is speaking and when the words are Janie's thought, the dialect disappears. Hurston using Janie's thoughts to give the reader amazing imagery. Janie's thoughts provide the reader some easier reading while the conversations give us insight into the time and culture.
ReplyDeleteHurston's use of old southern dialect is very impressive. I was discussing the book with a friend when I realized, a good writer can paint the story without the use of the characters true words. But a great writer can write a whole book using the slang that isn't common in today's world. I also noticed how the dialog changes with the people Janie encounters. When she meets Joe Starks, Hurston shows his slight more intelligent mind by changing his dialog from what the reader is use to thus far in the book. My favorite example of her writing style is her spelling of her words. Obviously she does write in a slang form, but how she writes it is interesting. Some words don't stay the same from person to person. I noticed this with the word 'going'. In one point in the book a group of friends are talking and while reading I noticed that Hurston spelled going a few different ways just in the one scene showing the true feel of being in the South in that time.
ReplyDeleteHurston uses an accent in her writing.All of the dialogue sounds and feels like you're down south, listening to the different ways each character speaks.Reading Their Eyes Were Watching God,I had an accent in my head,and it created a whole new atmosphere and tone to the novel.The more educated characters didn't chop their words as much as the uneducated characters. The way Janie and the African American women spoke,reminded me immediately of Calpurnia from To Kill A Mockingbird.
ReplyDeleteHurston's writing style in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" is a bit different from what you usually see. The sentence length varies, and she uses a lot of dialogue. In the dialogue, she uses southern dialect, spelling words exactly how they would be said, which made it easier to understand the time period and the language; it created a voice in my head. The writing style aids in engaging the reader.
ReplyDeleteSouthern broken english was Hurston's style of writing in her book "Their Eyes Were Watching God". I found it a bit more difficult to read due to this, but the book would'nt have been as good without it. It haelp set the tone for the book in a poor southern town. The style helps understand the postion the characters are in.
ReplyDeleteIn her novel Their Eyes were Watching Go, Hurston’s style and choice of words help create an atmosphere and characters that seem alive. The use of dialect helps define the characters and describes their surroundings and the time period they lived in. Also the shift between the narrator and Janie’s words allows the reader to understand events as others understood them. An example of the third person omniscient narrator is when the narrator tells the reader that Janie has voiced Logan Killicks’s worst fears when she says that she might run off and leave him. During this conversation some of Logan’s internal thoughts also become known to the reader along with Janie’s feelings. The mix of dialect and the narrator also makes the novel easier to understand because the narrator explains some of the content that may have been missed in the dialect.
ReplyDeleteIn her book, Zora Neale Hurtson uses dialect and informal diction to create a more realistic feeling for the reader. The use of southern dialect makes a more down-home feeling for the reader and really makes them feel like they are in the South. By using this dialect in all of the dialogue, along with informal diction, the reader has an easier time understanding the characters, setting, and the story as a whole. Hurtson's style is varied throughout the book depending on the mood she is trying to set within the story. In most of the book, the mood is conveyed by the main character's feelings.
ReplyDeleteI loved Hurston's use of dialect.. It was hard to understand at first, but once I got the hang of it I was able to read it smoothly! Without the dialect, it would be very hard to understand the character's personalities and inflections. Hurston's novel was also mostly dialogue... which I found to be a good thing, because when I'm reading and the voice switches from dialect to regular English, it can get confusing. I think the third person-limited point of view helped the story immensely as well, the story couldn't have been told well from any other viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel, Hurston uses southern dialect to portray how the characters would have actually spoken. This helps us as the readers to understand character personalities. Hurston's style of writing shows how characters would have interacted with one another during the novel's time period. The style alienates the reader because the pronunciation of words is different than what we are used to reading or speaking. This adds to the book's unique story line.
ReplyDeleteIn the book “their eyes were watching god” Hurston used a lot of dialogue throughout the book. Actually it was basically all dialogue. At parts it was hard to understand and comprehend because she was using a type of dialogue with loaded language and a kind of slang I didn’t really understand. I couldn’t really tell if she used more long or short sentences though. I would have to say it was about equal. I would have to say the book was written in I believe would be second person, but I am not positive.
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