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A Sutudy of the Characters in Recitatif, by Toni Morrison, Based on Spatial Categories ______

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A Sutudy of the Characters in Recitatif, by Toni Morrison, Based on Spatial Categories ______ 69 A SUTUDY OF THE CHARACTERS IN RECITATIF, BY TONI MORRISON, BASED ON SPATIAL CATEGORIES _______________________________________ O PERCURSO ESPACIAL DAS PERSONAGENS EM “RECITATIF”, DE TONI MORRISON Etelvina Miragaia Abstract: Toni Morrison is considered a major reference in the African - American literature whose diverse literary production gives the art an essential role in the defense of human rights. In this article we present briefly some contemporary historical facts narrated in "Recitatif " the only short story of the author, published in 1983 in Confirmation : An Anthology of African American Women. For a better understanding of the text, we put in evidence some American artistic and cultural movements, that culturally enriched the country and contributed to the emergence of modern african - American literature. Recognizing the potentialities of the studies on the space in the literary work, we aim to identify the main themes of "Recitatif" from the definition of the space in the construction of the characters. We emphasize the ambiguity as a strategy that invites the reader to build the meaning of the text, to question conventions and stereotypes and to value the Other, accepting the differences, crucial aspect in today's global and multicultural society. Keywords: Space; Non-Place; Recitatif; Toni Morrison. Resumo: A escritora Toni Morrison é considerada uma das maiores referências na literatura afro-americana cuja produção literária diversificada confere à arte um incontornável papel na defesa dos direitos humanos. Neste artigo apresentamos de forma breve, alguns factos históricos contemporâneos da ação narrada em “Recitatif”, único conto da autora, publicado em 1983 em Confirmation: An Anthology of African American Women. Para uma melhor compreensão do texto, evidenciamos movimentos artísticos e culturais estadunidenses que, para além de enriquecerem culturalmente o país, contribuíram para o surgimento da literatura afro-americana moderna. Reconhecendo as potencialidades e a atualidade dos estudos sobre o espaço na obra literária, temos como objetivo identificar as principais temáticas de “Recitatif”, a partir da definição do percurso espacial das personagens. Sublinhamos a ambiguidade como estratégia que convida o leitor a construir o(s) sentido(s) do texto, a questionar convenções e estereótipos e a valorizar o Outro na aceitação das diferenças, aspeto crucial na atual sociedade globalizada e multicultural. Palavras-chave: Espaço. Espaço; Não-lugar; Recitatif; Toni Morrison. “ Agrupamento de Escolas de Oliveira de Frades – Portugal. E-mail: [email protected] Revista TOPUS, Vol. 3 – Nº 2 - 2017 70 INTRODUCTION Toni Morrison is considered one of the most important African-American writers with a remarkable literary production characterized by a variety of genres including novels, essays, plays, children's texts, literary criticism and the only short story this author has ever written: Recitatif. Daring to write stories about the lives of the black people in America, taking into account their own point of view, assumes, as Nascimento (2012) mentions, a strong social engagement, giving visibility, in writing, to the voice of African-Americans and especially women. This article reflects in a succinct way on some contemporary historical facts of the action narrated in Recitatif, between the 1950s and the 1970s, which allowed us to establish some relations between reality (historical spaces and facts) and fiction, following the study of Dias (2011). This is of interest, especially if we take into account the scarcity of information regarding the description of the spaces where the story takes place that are provided by the narrator. For a better contextualization and understanding of Morrison's work, we reflect on some artistic and cultural movements that have emerged in America, such as the "Harlem Renaissance" and highlight the value of some writers such as Paul Lawrence or W.E.B. Du Bois, who, by assuming an important fighting for the defense of civil rights and reflecting on black identity, contributed to a cultural change in the country with the emergence of modern African American literature, as Silva (2015) explains. The black diaspora disseminated African national identities by establishing cultural exchanges with the countries where they arrived, transforming the black identity and, in the case of the United States, contributed to the construction of an African American identity in a long and not always harmonious process. Its literary expression has African roots in close connection with other cultural realities and, being written in English, turns the dialogue between diverse ethnic, cultural and social expressions easier and gives prominence to the present globalized and multicultural society, where it is desirable to value the difference and respect for the Other: "thus we must deconstruct erroneous representations of 'the Other' and reconstruct authentic images (AMANTE, 2014, p.329). In our analysis of Recitatif, we identify the main themes that go through the narrative, namely the musical reference to which the title alludes, the ambiguity Revista TOPUS, Vol. 3 – Nº 2 - 2017 71 (intentional) as a challenge to the conventions of the readers regarding racial issues, the difference and motherhood, as authors such as Nascimento (2011), Carneiro (2012) and Silva (2015) explain. Considering the potential of the relation between space and plot to understand the literary text, taking topoanalysis as a theoretical reference, as proposed by Borges Filho (2007), we suggest an analysis of the characters of Recitatif based on spatial categories. We explore, in a more particular way, how space contributes to the socioeconomic and psychological description of the characters and, by acquiring a symbolic function, contributes to the representation of feelings experienced by them. We recognize the vitality of space studies in the literary work whose interdisciplinary nature corroborates the interest of this approach. NOTES ON AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE African-American literature results from a cultural legacy closely related to the black population of the United States and it is characterized by its marginal discourse as Silva (2015) states. It took a long road for African-American literature to acquire its space and be recognized by literary critics. For a long period in the history of the United States, from the slave trade to the British colonies, that racism against the blacks silenced their voices. Despite the constraints, they produced works (stories, poems, songs) expressing their experiences and demanding their integration in the new continent. After the independence of the United States, in 1776, a movement began to abolish slavery, only completely finished after the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. However, racism did not disappear, and a racial segregation system known as "Jim Crow Laws" was introduced in the country, which prohibited black people from voting and freely attending places such as schools, public transportation or restaurants. Writers such as Charles W. Chestnut, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Booker T. Washington or W.E.B. Du Bois assumed an important role of social criticism and insisted on the movement of black people in the defense of their rights. During the 1920s, a period of prosperity was experienced in the United States. A cultural change took place with the popularization of musical genres such as "Blues" and "Jazz", with one of the greatest artistic movements in the country emerging – the Revista TOPUS, Vol. 3 – Nº 2 - 2017 72 "Harlem Renaissance," which marked the beginning of modern Afro-American literature as explained by Silva (2015). During this decade, black writers gained recognition as a group and played an important role in the discussion of black identity. The 1960s became known by the struggle against racism. In 1964, the "Civil Rights Act" and the right to vote for black people in 1965 were repealed the "Jim Crow" laws. From then on, there appeared a great diversification of works, with different styles, languages, genres and influences. With the publication of T. C. Bambara's The Black Woman - An Anthology (1970) and the novel The Salt Eaters (1980), black women also began to emerge from their condition of silence and invisibility. THE CONSTRUCTION OF CULTURAL IDENTITIES AND THEIR LITERARY EXPRESSION We must not forget that we live in a postmodern society, materialized and with a mind-boggling rhythm, but where other dimensions that need to be recognized are also possible. The transformations that occur in everyday life arise from a process of globalization (which is not a recent phenomenon) and are reflected, as Hall (2005) explains, in our relation with space, time and the Other. Time becomes so flexible, corroborates Cresswell (2008), that it seems to reduce space to its ephemerality. Perhaps there is interest in the issue of space in literature, a tendency that has been increasing in the last thirty years, as Borges Filho (2007) states. Augé (2008) analyzes the notions of "anthropological place" and "non-place", explaining that a transformation of ourselves in others is at stake, as if we were being colonized without knowing for sure by whom. Hall (2005) considers that identity is not innate, but it is constructed over time through unconscious processes. It questions the idea that national identities have never been as homogeneous as one might believe in our representations of them and refers to three great consequences of globalization: 1) the disintegration of national
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