The Women On/Of the Porch: Performative Space in African- American Women’S Fiction
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1999 The omeW n On/Of the Porch: Performative Space in African-American Women's Fiction. Lajuan Evette Simpson Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Simpson, Lajuan Evette, "The omeW n On/Of the Porch: Performative Space in African-American Women's Fiction." (1999). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 7124. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/7124 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bieedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6 ' x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA urvir 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE WOMEN ON/OF THE PORCH: PERFORMATIVE SPACE IN AFRICAN- AMERICAN WOMEN’S FICTION A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of English by LaJuan Evette Simpson B.A., Fisk University, 1994 M.A., Louisiana State University, 1996 December, 1999 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number 9960095 UMI* UMI Microform9960095 Copyright 2000 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. For My Parents Arnold and Faye and My Brothers Troy and Allen Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgments I would like to give all praise and honor to God for giving me the ability and the endurance to complete this project: “I can do all things through Christ who strengths me” (Philippians 4:13). Dr. Carolyn Jones Medine, what in the world would I have done without you? You have been my counselor, my cheerleader, and my critic. Thank you for everything. And, special thanks to your husband, Scott Medine, for putting up with all my messages and phone calls. Dr. Joyce Jackson, Dr. John Lowe, Dr. Peggy Prenshaw, and Dr. Dorothy Jenkins thank you sharing your invaluable advice with me. I appreciate the time and expertise you shared with me. Special thanks to the English department crew: Ladiica Menson-Furr. Kim Chavis, Anita Harris, Stephanie Hall, Cynthia Downing, Preselfannie McDaniels, and Tara Green for the support you have given me throughout my graduate school career. You were my light in the mist of darkness. Thank you to all my relatives and close friends for your encouragement throughout this process, especially—Troy and Allen (my brothers), Uncle John, Aunt Shelia T., Dawn, John, Mur Dear, Granddaddy, Aunt Ditty, Aunt Diantha, Robert, Aunt Etta, Pam, Uncle Nathan, Grandma, Aunt Shelia S., Aunt Rosemary, Uncle Irvin, Mairo, Vic, Herb, DeLanie, Rosalind. Kenny, Annette, Maureen, G.P., Derronica, Mrs. Bonnie, Bro. Forte, my church family (Hollywood Street church of Christ), Brian, and Ron. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Last, but not least, thank you Mom and Dad (Arnold and Faye Simpson) for believing in me from the start when I conceived this crazy notion to work on this degree. Thank you for everything. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for you. I love you. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. P reface As I worked on this project, many people related various porch stories to me, once they found out the topic of my dissertation. These stories showed me that my work is not just for academia, but it is a topic that can be discussed at an informal family/social gathering as well as a structured intellectual conversation. In each setting the discussion was rich and full of images, symbols, memories, and details. This adds flavor, fullness, and richness to my work and gives me the incentive to continue this discussion theoretically as well as practically. v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table Of Contents Acknowledgments ............................................................................................iii P re fa c e ................................................................................................................ .v List of Illustrations.............................................................................................viii A b s tra c t ................................................................... ............................................ix C hapter 1 Gardens, Music, and Womanist Theory: Mediating Structures in African-American Literature ..................................................1 Mediating and Performative Structures ...................... .4 Womanism: Black Women’s Theory..............................10 The Garden: Bailey’s C afe ...............................................19 Music: The Blues W oman ............................................... 26 The P o rch........................................................................... 35 2 Historically Speaking: The African Influence on the European P o rch ............................................................................................... 38 African Origins and Influence on American Architecture ........................................................................ 38 The Function of the Porch in the South.......................... 44 The Loss of the Porch.........................................................51 The New Porch...................................................................55 Critical Sources................................................................... 58 "The World Beyond the Edge of the Porch”: The Role of Denver in Toni Morrison’s Beloved.........................................................64 Conclusions......................................................................... 93 “Yuh Got Tuh Go There Tuh Know There”: The Porch in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eves Were Watching God..................... 96 “For the First Time in My Life I Feel Just Right": Womanism in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple........................ 126 From Novel to Film: The Porch in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple................................................................. 149 The Missing Pieces: Alice Walker’s Script of The Color. P u rp le ...................................................................................156 Conclusions.........................................................................164 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 6 From the Porch, to the Deck: The Disappearance of the Porch 166 R eferen ces.................................................................................................................174 Appendix: Porches...................................................................................................184 V ita ..............................................................................................................................191 vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. List of Illustrations 1. Front porch at paternal grandparent’s house.............................................. 184 2.View of veranda at paternal grandparent’s h o u s e ......................................185 3. Front porch at maternal grandparent’s