Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)
Karina Jakubowicz on Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)
'Life like a tree in leaf': From Green Shoots to New Horizons
Nature is a powerful and pervasive force in Their Eyes Were Watching God. It guides the protagonist, Janie, through a profound awakening, constituting a considerable ally while also producing some of her most difficult obstacles. This lecture will explore the degree to which Hurston's treatment of nature connects to the complexities of the American political and social landscape in the early 20th century.
By considering Hurston's organic imagery alongside the issue of land ownership, we can discover a far wider significance to Janie's story of personal development, drawing an entire cultural ecosystem out of one life lived 'like a tree in leaf.'
With Karina Jakubowicz, Lecturer, Florida State University and Literature Cambridge. Presenter of the Virginia Woolf Podcast.
Links:
Zora Neale Hurston official website.
Article on Hurston in The Guardian, 7 January 2025.
Saturday 13 December 2025
18.00-20.00 British Time (GMT)
19.00-21.00 Central European Time
Morning / lunch time in the Americas
Prices
£32.00 full price
£27.00 students
£27.00 CAMcard holders
The lecture will be recorded so that people who book can listen again for 48 hours after the live lecture. The seminar is not recorded.
Karina Jakubowicz on Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)
'Life like a tree in leaf': From Green Shoots to New Horizons
Nature is a powerful and pervasive force in Their Eyes Were Watching God. It guides the protagonist, Janie, through a profound awakening, constituting a considerable ally while also producing some of her most difficult obstacles. This lecture will explore the degree to which Hurston's treatment of nature connects to the complexities of the American political and social landscape in the early 20th century.
By considering Hurston's organic imagery alongside the issue of land ownership, we can discover a far wider significance to Janie's story of personal development, drawing an entire cultural ecosystem out of one life lived 'like a tree in leaf.'
With Karina Jakubowicz, Lecturer, Florida State University and Literature Cambridge. Presenter of the Virginia Woolf Podcast.
Links:
Zora Neale Hurston official website.
Article on Hurston in The Guardian, 7 January 2025.
Saturday 13 December 2025
18.00-20.00 British Time (GMT)
19.00-21.00 Central European Time
Morning / lunch time in the Americas
Prices
£32.00 full price
£27.00 students
£27.00 CAMcard holders
The lecture will be recorded so that people who book can listen again for 48 hours after the live lecture. The seminar is not recorded.
Karina Jakubowicz on Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)
'Life like a tree in leaf': From Green Shoots to New Horizons
Nature is a powerful and pervasive force in Their Eyes Were Watching God. It guides the protagonist, Janie, through a profound awakening, constituting a considerable ally while also producing some of her most difficult obstacles. This lecture will explore the degree to which Hurston's treatment of nature connects to the complexities of the American political and social landscape in the early 20th century.
By considering Hurston's organic imagery alongside the issue of land ownership, we can discover a far wider significance to Janie's story of personal development, drawing an entire cultural ecosystem out of one life lived 'like a tree in leaf.'
With Karina Jakubowicz, Lecturer, Florida State University and Literature Cambridge. Presenter of the Virginia Woolf Podcast.
Links:
Zora Neale Hurston official website.
Article on Hurston in The Guardian, 7 January 2025.
Saturday 13 December 2025
18.00-20.00 British Time (GMT)
19.00-21.00 Central European Time
Morning / lunch time in the Americas
Prices
£32.00 full price
£27.00 students
£27.00 CAMcard holders
The lecture will be recorded so that people who book can listen again for 48 hours after the live lecture. The seminar is not recorded.