"Preachin' the Blues": Bessie Smith's secular religion and Alice Walker's 'The Color Purple.'
| Publisher | African American Review |
| Publication | African American Review |
| Subject | Ethnic, cultural, racial issues/studies |
| Format | Magazine/Journal |
| ISSN | 1062-4783 |
| Issues per Year | 4 |
| Volume | v28 |
| Issue | n3 |
| Published | 1994-09-22 |
| Role | Type | Name |
| Author | n/a | Thomas F. Marvin |
| Person | Criticism and interpretation | Bessie Smith |
| Person | Criticism and interpretation | Alice Walker |
| Related Content | Type |
| The Color Purple | eNotes |
| The Color Purple | quickNotes |
| The Color Purple | Teaching Unit |
| The Color Purple | Salem on Literature |
A blues singer known as "Shug" Avery sweeps through Alice Walker's novel The Color Purple, bestowing her favors and her scorn capriciously, giving voice to the voiceless, power to the powerless, and money to the poor. She transforms the life of Celie, the novel's protagonist, through a "blues conversion" of the type advocated by Bessie Smith in her song "Preachin' the Blues." Shug, like Bessie Smith, forges a strong bond with her audiences and gives voice to the "spirit of the blues" in order to bring relief to less articulate sufferers. But more importantly, she encourages Celie and...
[This journal article is 6615 words long]
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