The Color Purple (Magill’s Choice: American Ethnic Writers)
At a glance:
- Author: Alice Walker
- First Published: 1982
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Domestic realism, Epistolary literature
- Subjects: African Americans, Self-discovery, Africa or Africans, Racism, Sexism, Homosexuality or homosexuals, South or Southerners, Gender roles, 1940’s, Missions or missionaries, Friendship, 1920’s, 1930’s, God, Spiritual life or spirituality, Child abuse, Incest, Rape, Quilts or quilting, Lesbianism or lesbians, Women’s issues, Oppression, Letter writing, Sisters, Women
- Locales: Africa, South (U.S.), Georgia, Tennessee
The Work
The Color Purple, awarded the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 1983 and made into a successful film, is ultimately a novel of celebration. Initially, however, it is the tragic history of an extended African American family in the early and middle years of the twentieth century. Its tragedy is reflective of the country’s and its characters’ illness, and its celebration is of the characters’ and the country’s cure.
The story is written as a series of letters by two sisters, Celie and Nettie. The first letters reveal the fourteen-year-old Celie’s...
[The entire page is 1379 words long]
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- The Color Purple (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
- The Color Purple (Censorship (Ready Reference series))
- The Color Purple (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
- The Color Purple (Magill’s Choice: American Ethnic Writers)
- The Color Purple (Magill Book Reviews)
- The Color Purple (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
- The Color Purple (Masterplots II: Women’s Literature Series)
- The Color Purple (Cyclopedia of Literary Places)
- The Color Purple (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
See Also:
- - For teachers, the The Color Purple Lesson Plan.
- - The Color Purple summary and study guide in the eNotes.
- Add The Color Purple to your favorites