Shirley A. Stave – författare

This timely book treats Hardy's recurring use of one of the major informing myths of Western culture—that of a collision between a solar god and an earth goddess. Stave uses a chronological examination of Hardy's Wessex novels to highlight the author's evolving consciousness of the connections among patriarchy, Christianity, sexism, and classism. From the gentle affirmation of Far From the Madding Crowd to the grim Jude the Obscure, Stave paints a world in which the goddess figures die out, displaced by messianic gods, and a Pagan worldview gives way to a world devoid of spiritual meaning.

Contributions by Alice Knox Eaton, Mar Gallego, Maxine Lavon Montgomery, Evelyn Jaffe Schreiber, Shirley A. Stave, Justine Tally, Susana Vega-González, and Anissa WardiIn her eleventh novel, God Help the Child, Toni Morrison returned to several of the signature themes explored in her previous work: pernicious beauty standards for women, particularly African American women; mother-child relationships; racism and colorism; and child sexual abuse. God Help the Child, published in 2015, is set in the contemporary period, unlike all of her previous novels. The contemporary setting is ultimately incidental to the project of the novel, however; as with Morrison's other work, the story takes on mythic qualities, and the larger-than-life themes lend themselves to allegorical and symbolic readings that resonate in light of both contemporary and historical issues.New Critical Essays on Toni Morrison's "God Help the Child": Race, Culture, and History, a collection of eight essays by both seasoned Morrison scholars as well as new and rising scholars, takes on the novel in a nuanced and insightful analysis, interpreting the novel in relation to Morrison's earlier work as well as locating it within ongoing debates in literary and other academic disciplines engaged with African American literature. The volume is divided into three sections. The first focuses on trauma - both the pain and suffering caused by neglect and abuse, as well as healing and understanding. The second section considers narrative choices, concentrating on experimentation and reader engagement. The third section turns a comparative eye to Morrison's fictional canon, from her debut work of fiction, The Bluest Eye, until the present.These essays build on previous studies of Morrison's novels and deepen readers'understanding of both her last novel and her larger literary output.

Contributions by Alice Knox Eaton, Mar Gallego, Maxine Lavon Montgomery, Evelyn Jaffe Schreiber, Shirley A. Stave, Justine Tally, Susana Vega-González, and Anissa WardiIn her eleventh novel, God Help the Child, Toni Morrison returned to several of the signature themes explored in her previous work: pernicious beauty standards for women, particularly African American women; mother-child relationships; racism and colorism; and child sexual abuse. God Help the Child, published in 2015, is set in the contemporary period, unlike all of her previous novels. The contemporary setting is ultimately incidental to the project of the novel, however; as with Morrison's other work, the story takes on mythic qualities, and the larger-than-life themes lend themselves to allegorical and symbolic readings that resonate in light of both contemporary and historical issues.New Critical Essays on Toni Morrison's "God Help the Child": Race, Culture, and History, a collection of eight essays by both seasoned Morrison scholars as well as new and rising scholars, takes on the novel in a nuanced and insightful analysis, interpreting the novel in relation to Morrison's earlier work as well as locating it within ongoing debates in literary and other academic disciplines engaged with African American literature. The volume is divided into three sections. The first focuses on trauma - both the pain and suffering caused by neglect and abuse, as well as healing and understanding. The second section considers narrative choices, concentrating on experimentation and reader engagement. The third section turns a comparative eye to Morrison's fictional canon, from her debut work of fiction, The Bluest Eye, until the present.These essays build on previous studies of Morrison's novels and deepen readers'understanding of both her last novel and her larger literary output.

Girlhood and Adolescence in the Twenty-First-Century Southern Novel explores six works by contemporary Southern women writers, each featuring a girl protagonist navigating complex personal and cultural challenges rooted in the American South. These twenty-first-century portrayals mark a significant shift from earlier depictions of Southern girlhood—most notably in the protagonists’ relationships with family and their striking detachment from Civil War memory and its lingering legacy. Central to each narrative is a longing for the absent or deceased mother and, in most cases, an aversion to the father figure, who is often depicted as abusive or irresponsible. Yet the specific struggles these girls face vary widely. While racism and racial tension appear in several novels, only one centers entirely on Black/white relations. Some grapple with extreme poverty or life in overlooked working-class communities, while others explore spiritual journeys outside of traditional Christianity—embracing instead woman-centered or alternative paths to the divine. The book offers critical analyses of the following novels: The Queen of Palmyra by Minrose Gwin, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Bitter in the Mouth by Monique Truong, Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells, and The Unraveling of Mercy Louis by Keija Parssinen. Unified by themes of autonomy and resistance, these girl characters challenge gender norms and defy societal expectations. They are self-possessed, guided by their own desires, and determined to carve out lives on their own terms—offering a bold reimagining of what it means to grow up Southern in the twenty-first century.