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Stream of Consciousness
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis:
Throughout the novel, Morrison's style mimics jazz music. Her writing is rhythmic, creative, propulsive, and varied. An excellent example of this style occurs near the beginning of Chapter 1, when Morrison first describes New York City:
Daylight slants like a razor cutting the buildings in half. In the top half I see looking faces and it's not easy to tell which are people, which the work of stonemasons. Below is shadow where any blasé thing takes place: clarinets and lovemaking, fists and the voices of sorrowful women. A city like this one makes me dream fall and feel in on things. Hep. It's the bright steel rocking above the shade below that does it...
In this passage, the length of sentences is highly varied, ranging from a single word to multiple clauses. Some words or phrases seem chosen for their musicality, like the word "hep." The paragraph is also rich with imagery and figurative language, which are hallmarks of Morrison's style in Jazz and her work more broadly.
Another important facet of the jazz-like style is the way the writing changes depending on setting and character. When, in Chapter Five, Joe Trace narrates his time in Virginia, for instance, Morrison's style becomes terse and direct:
I was born and raised in Vesper County, Virginia, in 1873. Little place called Vienna. Rhoda and Frank Williams took me in right away and raised me along with six of their own.
In this passage, shorter sentences and less fanciful imagery help articulate Joe's perspective and create a new, convincing style for his narrative; in this respect, style is closely connected with tone. This kind of style shift also occurs when Alice Manfred, Violet, Felice, and Dorcas recount parts of the story. These shifts resemble the way jazz music often contains a sequence of solos by a range of performers on distinct instruments. In this model, the narrator's own style is analogous to the rhythm section in the background of jazz music, which is both vital to the story and sometimes slips under the radar.
Overall, Morrison matches her style to the jazz-like content of her novel. While rich imagery, frequent figurative language, and precise syntax are characteristic of all Morrison's work, Jazz adapts those qualities to also be musical and highly varied to align with the work's shifting, complex narrative.
Related Themes:
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis:
Throughout the novel, Morrison's style mimics jazz music. Her writing is rhythmic, creative, propulsive, and varied. An excellent example of this style occurs near the beginning of Chapter 1, when Morrison first describes New York City:
Daylight slants like a razor cutting the buildings in half. In the top half I see looking faces and it's not easy to tell which are people, which the work of stonemasons. Below is shadow where any blasé thing takes place: clarinets and lovemaking, fists and the voices of sorrowful women. A city like this one makes me dream fall and feel in on things. Hep. It's the bright steel rocking above the shade below that does it...
In this passage, the length of sentences is highly varied, ranging from a single word to multiple clauses. Some words or phrases seem chosen for their musicality, like the word "hep." The paragraph is also rich with imagery and figurative language, which are hallmarks of Morrison's style in Jazz and her work more broadly.
Another important facet of the jazz-like style is the way the writing changes depending on setting and character. When, in Chapter Five, Joe Trace narrates his time in Virginia, for instance, Morrison's style becomes terse and direct:
I was born and raised in Vesper County, Virginia, in 1873. Little place called Vienna. Rhoda and Frank Williams took me in right away and raised me along with six of their own.
In this passage, shorter sentences and less fanciful imagery help articulate Joe's perspective and create a new, convincing style for his narrative; in this respect, style is closely connected with tone. This kind of style shift also occurs when Alice Manfred, Violet, Felice, and Dorcas recount parts of the story. These shifts resemble the way jazz music often contains a sequence of solos by a range of performers on distinct instruments. In this model, the narrator's own style is analogous to the rhythm section in the background of jazz music, which is both vital to the story and sometimes slips under the radar.
Overall, Morrison matches her style to the jazz-like content of her novel. While rich imagery, frequent figurative language, and precise syntax are characteristic of all Morrison's work, Jazz adapts those qualities to also be musical and highly varied to align with the work's shifting, complex narrative.
Related Themes:
