English 5522 - Literary Theory and Criticism
Isn't Mimicry Intrinsic In Every Artist?
I was fascinated by Hurston's essay on Negro expression. I found most everything she said to be true in the general sense. However, I wanted to explore her notion that these characteristics of expression "permeate [the] entire self" (1146). Does this mean that there are intrinsic qualities of the Negro that come out of his nature? If so, how much, if any, of these qualities come from nurture. It seems to me that Hurston establishes a fundamental distinction between whites and blacks when she says that "the white man thinks in a written language and the Negro thinks in hieroglyphics. I think her evidence of this is intriguing to say the least. Does it not tie directly into poststructualism? What is a word? It is a designation for a reality, nothing more. The Negro word will come closer to the word's utility than the white's. Why this is I cannot fathom.
I enjoyed all of Hurston's sections on the types of characteristics. The section was of particular interest to me. When I was going up I would visit my Grandmother over the summer holidays. She lived in a primarily black district, and I had opportunity to befriend the children in the neighborhood. The homes I frequently visited looked much as Hurston described. According to Hurston, the walls have "gaudy calendars, wall pockets and advertising lithographs" (1148). In one house I recall in one house, they had decorated the main living area with posters you might win at the midway at the fair. At the time, I don't think I made a judgment as to why this was odd to me. I just knew that my own home had wicker stuff all over the walls. After some time has passed, I can honestly say that neither our walls nor theirs made much fashion sense.
The angularity aspect of the Negro adornment is especially fascinating to me. I would like to know why this phenomenon exists. It seems to me that it is more a matter of taste, therefore, it might be nurture as opposed to nature. The rhythm, on the other hand, seems to be rooted deep within the being of the African as some sort of tribal instinct (what that means I don't know). The Negro American in Hurston's day still manifested this trait in its dance and song. Today, it remains.
The imitation section of Hurston's essay brings me to my question of exploration. I have often seen this trait played out among black friends that I know. And I agree that it is more than imitation. It is ingenuity. They will take something and with it create something "other than." Isn't this notion the same as the artist creating something with the resources at his disposal? It looks to me look the Negro's imitation is te same as the notion of imitation in the introduction to this text. As Hurston's puts it, "Minicry is an art in itself" (1152). Reitch says "literature [. . . ] is mimetic" (4).