The Bluest Eye @ 50
Invites you to engage with our project to honor Toni Morrison’s first novel and the incomparable body of writing and cultural influence represented by her career across time.
Hover over the images below for an overview of each page and what it seeks to accomplish.
Why
Reflects on our reasons for launching this initiative.
Performing
Reading excerpts from The Bluest Eye as presented by TCU theatre students.
Teaching
Shares ideas and resources from instructors who have taught Morrison.
Reflecting
Invites you to share your responses to reading Morrison’s writing and view the responses of others.
Researching
Provides information to support your study of the novel and Morrison.
Adapting
Introduces a collection of scholarly essays honoring The Bluest Eye and its author as an inspiration for multiple literary adaptations.
The October 2020 Special Issue of College Literature – Toni Morrison and Adaptation –features rich scholarship from scholars situating Morrison’s work within genres beyond the novel, particularly in contexts of drama, performance, sonic, and visual culture.
This includes videos, articles, and a Critical Forum on The Bluest Eye @ 50 with contributions from:
Herman Beavers
Faedra Carpenter
Farah Jasmine Griffin
E. Patrick Johnson
Stephanie Li
“…our hope was to mark the inauguration of what would become a tremendous literary career, one that would transform our world in ways unfathomable… What we did not expect was for this special issue to become a tribute to this powerhouse.”
Now, perhaps even more than it was first released, Morrison’s first novel, The Bluest Eye, provides a pathway for reflecting on (and resisting) the impact of internalized racist ideas on the personal self-identifications of Black children, particularly Black girls. Honoring the novel’s 50th anniversary year, we invite contributions to our website The Bluest Eye @ 50.
Our website shares written reflections on reading and/or teaching the novel and other works by Morrison:
- Stories of teaching Morrison: Shares reflections of teaching The Bluest Eye and other works by Morrison, along with resources for bringing her work to classrooms.
- Writings about reading Morrison: an online “book club” in action.
Submissions will appear alongside other reflections, resources, and performances of excerpts from the novel by theatre students at TCU, the institutional home of the project. We welcome YOUR voice through the end of 2020, please share widely! For questions, please contact TheBluestEyeAt50@gmail.com.
Thanks!
The team at The Bluest Eye @ 50 project
Contribute Your Thoughts
All are welcome to submit personal reflections, lesson plans, and ideas on Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and how it can be taught today.
