The Construction Of Spatial Politics In Toni Morrison's Paradise

Toni Morrison(1931-),who is a famous contemporary African-American female writer,a literary critic,a sen ior editor of Random House and a professor of Princeton University,who wrote and published Bluest Eyes,Sula,Song of Solomon and Tar Baby,has won numerous awards.Her works are full of vigorous emotions,with profound subject,mysterious and dark plot,abundant and vivid characters as well as simple and clear narrative discourse.Paradise is a literary masterpiece which Toni Morrison has devoted to for 4 years after she is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.It is the last book of her historical trilogy in succession to Beloved and Jazz.Once published,it is regarded as Morrison's most strange and most original novel.There are six parts in this thesis.The “Introduction part” is an introduction of Morrison and her works as well as the research status of her and Paradise.The first chapter introduces the spatial theories of Lefebvr e,Foucault and Soja in detail.The second chapter analyzes three kinds of social spaces outlined by Morrison,in which the “Haven” was the first attempt by the African-Americans to build a paradise;Ruby was their second trial and to some extent,it is continuation of Haven;the Convent is like a utopia cr eated by some women.The third chapter deals with the racial space politics in Paradise by the two spatial representations of the skin color and the Oven.The fourth chap ter focuses on the physical space of women who lives in Ruby and the Convent.The last part is a conclusion based on the analyses.This thesis aims to analyze the social space,the racial space and the physical space in Paradise on the basis of the theories of Lefebvre and Foucault and especially Soja' s “third space”,discuss how the blacks can get out of traumas in the future and how they can build a peaceful and wonderful black com munity,inspire readers to think how to face th e traumas,how to get rid of traum as,how to build a ha rmonious and great living sp ace,how to build a real paradise and how to build self in a particular space to achieve the ideal life.