Toni Morrison Research Paper

BACKGROUND

A Pulitzer Prize–winning author, Toni Morrison writes about the black experience in America from the viewpoint of her unforgettable characters. Her works focus on a range of issues, including slavery, discrimination, relationships between blacks and whites, and women. Morrison brings a sense of the supernatural to her writing and a respect for her ancient heritage.

BROWSE FOR BOOKS ON THE SHELF USING THESE CALL NUMBERS

Biography section under Morrison, Toni

813

813.54

LOOK UNDER THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS IN THE CATALOG (CARD OR COMPUTER)

Afro-American women novelists—20th century

American fiction—Women authors—History and criticism

REFERENCE MATERIALS THAT MAY HELP (BOOKS OR CD-ROMS)

Draper, James P., ed. Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 81, 1994.

Garrett, Agnes, and Helga P. McCue, eds. Authors and Artists for Young Adults, Vol. 1, 1989.

Giles, James R., ed. Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol. 143, 1994.

Kranz, Rachel E. The Biographical Dictionary of Black Americans, 1992.

PERIODICAL INDEXES TO SEARCH (BOOKS OR CD-ROMS)

Biography Index

EBSCO Magazine Article Summaries

InfoTrac

Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature

WILSONDISC

ONLINE DATABASES TO SEARCH

America Online

Biography Index

CompuServe

Dialog

Internet

Prodigy
KEY WORDS AND DESCRIPTORS FOR PERIODICAL INDEX AND ONLINE SEARCHES

Morrison, Toni

VIDEOTAPES ON THIS TOPIC

Toni Morrison. Home Vision, 1987.

Toni Morrison: A Conversation with Toni Morrison. California Newsreel, 1992.

FICTION BOOKS RELATING TO TOPIC

Fiction section under Morrison, Toni

SUGGESTIONS FOR NARROWING THIS TOPIC

Choose a particular work to analyze; e.g., Beloved, The Bluest Eye, Tar Baby.

Comment on the impact of Morrison’s early life on her work.

Compare Morrison with another African-American woman writer; e.g., Alice Walker.

Discuss Morrison’s views on racism, black women, or growing up in the South.

SUGGESTIONS FOR RELATED TOPICS

Alice Walker

Maya Angelou

Rita Dove

This RESEARCH TOPIC GUIDE is intended to help the library user find information and materials on a particular topic in many sources throughout the library. Resources on this topic are not limited to those described and availability will depend upon the individual library. Feel free to ask a librarian for assistance.