"If you have to read and reread in order to put together what's happening, then you are a co-creator of that literary experience. She saw this as specifically important for Black literature. Her highest aspiration, as she put it, was to create something at the level of jazz, which she saw as the highest form of Black art."
"My aim is to give you an appreciation for how carefully constructed Morrison's works are, and how successful they are in using form to make you feel things you've never felt before."
Namwali Serpell, a prize-winning novelist and English professor, argues that Toni Morrison's true genius requires multiple readings to fully appreciate. Morrison's prose is intentionally cerebral and beautiful, designed to make readers active participants in creating literary meaning. Serpell's new book "On Morrison" chronologically examines Morrison's novels from "The Bluest Eye" (1970) to "God Help the Child" (2015), along with her short story and play. The book originated from a Morrison course Serpell taught in 2021 and aims to demonstrate how carefully constructed Morrison's works are and how successfully she uses form to evoke unprecedented emotional responses. Serpell emphasizes that Morrison viewed her highest aspiration as creating art at the level of jazz, the highest form of Black art.
Read at Harvard Gazette
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