Alternative Space: The Musical Narrative of Toni Morrison’s Novels

Abstract

African American literature has responded to hegemonic Western literary traditions, which excluded African American writers. Limited by social and cultural suppression, the early writers adopted a dual voice of speech, speaking to the hegemonic white discourse, while weaving in a subtext of African American experiences. It enabled them to convey a sense of identity, resistance and recollection. The Harlem Renaissance marked a turning point in the development of a creative, confident and proud African American identity. It encouraged the celebration of African heritage and folklore, and a range of experiences, which challenged a monolithic understanding of blackness. This article examines the evolution of African American literary genres as alternative discursive spaces within the hegemonic Eurocentric discourse. It begins by looking at the historical imperative African American writers initially had to adopt a double-voiced discourse that outwardly complied with hegemonic white discourse, but secretly signified Black culture.