Consonance

Consonance is a poetic device characterised by the repetition of the same consonant two or more times in short succession, as in "pitter patter" or in "all mammals named Sam are clammy". Consonance should not be confused with assonance, which is the repetition of vowel sounds.

Key terminology for 'The Color Purple'

Literary terms:

Epistolary novel

Feminism

Figurative language

Genre

Historical and social context

Indirect speech

Narrative tension

Narrative viewpoint

Patriarchal Society

Protagonist

Voice

Language techniques:

AAVE

Colloquial language

Dialect

Declarative sentence

Ellipsis

Emotive words

Euphemism

Exclamative sentence

Graphology (or graphological features)

Imperative sentence

Interrogative sentence

Lexis

Non-fluency features

Non Standard English

Pronouns

Semantic field

Standard English

Taboo language

Terms of address

Tone

The Genre Debate

Since its publication, critics and readers have debated the generic identity of The Color Purple.

 

 

To what extent does Walker’s novel fit into the following categories? 

 

 

1. An Epistolary Novel? 

 

Definition: A form of sentimental novel popular in the eighteenth century.  The epistolary novel is composed of letters or documents and usually represents female experience.  Most epistolary novels in the eighteenth century were written by middle-class men.  The epistolary novel appears to dramatise a desire for communication and exchange and enables the writer to set down a character’s thoughts and give a peek at the psychology of the protagonist without authorial framing or interference.  However, this form of novel is usually didactic and ends with the heroine’s surrender to male domination. 

 

2. A Bildungsroman? 

 

Definition: A novel which charts the spiritual or emotional development of its main character, focusing primarily on his or her formative years.  

 

3. A Folk Tale?

 

Definition: A popular story which is passed on from one generation to another through the oral tradition.  The structure of the folk tale is usually simple and the plot generally ends happily.  This category includes fairy tales, myths and fables, all of which may include supernatural elements.  Resolutions are often wrought by a form of trickery.   

 

4. An Historical Novel?

 

Definition: A novel which recreates a particular period in history.  Characters may be historical or fictional but historical conditions anchor the plot.  When Alice Walker first conceived The Color Purple she envisaged it as an ‘historical novel’ (‘Writing the Color Purple’, In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens (Harcourt 1983, 356).  

Patriarchy

Patriarchy is where a culture is ruled by males. They are seen to be the dominant gender and lead in society.

In a patriarchal society, women are seen as inferior (less important) and suffer mistreatment and inequality.

Womanism

Womanism is a social theory deeply rooted in the racial and gender oppression of black women. It attempts to end oppression not just for women of colour, but for all of humankind.

Womanism allows black women to support and celebrate their colour and culture in a way that feminism does not.