Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)
Although it was published in 1937 it was not until the 1970s that Their Eyes Were Watching God became regarded as a masterwork. It had initially been rejected by African American critics as facile and simplistic, in part because its characters spoke in dialect. Alice Walker’s 1975 Ms. magazine essay, “Looking for Zora,” led to a critical reevaluation of the book, which is now considered to have paved the way for younger black writers such as Alice Walker and Toni Morrison.
Although it was published in 1937 it was not until the 1970s that <em>Their Eyes Were Watching God</em> became regarded as a masterwork. It had initially been rejected by African American critics as facile and simplistic, in part because its characters spoke in dialect. Alice Walker’s 1975 <em>Ms.</em> magazine essay, “Looking for Zora,” led to a critical reevaluation of the book, which is now considered to have paved the way for younger black writers such as Alice Walker and Toni Morrison.