Folklore

What is folklore and anthropology? Folklore – traditional customs, beliefs, and stories about a people, country, or region. These stories are usually passed down from generation to generation and the tales are usually told by word of mouth. Anthropology – the general study of human societies and cultures. It is the study of humanity from the earliest times to the present and includes the study of races, behavior, physical and mental characteristics, distribution, customs, and social relationships of mankind. How does folklore and anthropology relate to Their Eyes Were Watching God by Nora Zeale Hurston?

Hurston studied anthropology at Barnard college, where she was the first African American. She combined her writings with anthropology, by using native dialects to recount the stories of people in her native land of Florida. Throughout the book, she comments on black folk life and black independence, especially in the town of Eatonville, which is where she grew up. In this book, she explored black culture and expressed pride in her race. She took part in research in the Association for the Study of Negro Life an History, and this study of the South and its residents allowed her to focus on black culture and the black individual in her novel, which is said to be a celebration of Black language and cultural heritage. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston can be seen as a folklore itself because it is a verbal account of Janie’s life. Janie passes her story down to her best friend Phoebe and hopes that it will then be passed down to other members of the town or other members of Phoebes family. She tells of the many different cultures she became a part of, and the beliefs she learned in each region during her travels.