The Alien City chronotope within the scope of Toni Morrison’s Jazz
The research observes the representation of the alien city chronotope in Jazz (1992) by a contemporary American writer Toni Morrison. The narration of the novel occurs in Harlem (New York) in the 1920-s, however, because most characters’ identities originate in the mid-19th-century American South,...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2019
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/13971/1/28816-98616-1-PB.pdf http://journalarticle.ukm.my/13971/ http://ejournal.ukm.my/3l/issue/view/1178 |
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| Summary: | The research observes the representation of the alien city chronotope in Jazz (1992) by a contemporary
American writer Toni Morrison. The narration of the novel occurs in Harlem (New York) in the 1920-s,
however, because most characters’ identities originate in the mid-19th-century American South, time and space
frames extend. Focusing on the city space in the novel Jazz we regard the city as a social and cultural
phenomenon of America, an independent live character that enters into a dialogue with the novel’s protagonists
and, at the same time, contributes to their alienation within its frames. Harlem of 1920s functions not only as
sociohistorical background but also as a unique narrator that relates the urban experience of African-
Americans. We deduce that the chronotope exhibited in the novel in question combines several places and
embodies narration about protagonists’ roots, their original habitat and a new conflicting environment that
both attracts and repels them. The intrinsic ties of time and space in the literary work discussed in the article
are presented on the level of the city, which represents alien and fragmentized reality. Thus we are convinced
that the alien city chronotope in the novel is shaped by the opposition of ethnic and cultural identities of
characters within their changing world. The characters’ illusions and aspirations are guided by the dubious
and forceful voice of the city and none of the protagonists is able to escape the traumatic labyrinth of time and
space tracing their memory. |
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