Social Rituals and the Verbal Art of Zora Neale

Book excerpt: In Social Rituals and the Verbal Art of Zora Neale Hurston, Dr. Hill examines Hurston's concept of "everyday-life drama" as a basis for understanding distinctive features of African-American folk expression. Readers familiar with Hurston's work will enjoy the unique way in which Dr. Hill analyzes Hurston's folklore as part of a process rather than simply as texts severed from their field-research context. Dr. Hill's use of performance as an analytical model that crosses disciplines - including folklore, anthropology, literature, theater, African-American studies, and women's studies - provides a unique window on Hurston's life and work.