Namwali Serpell's Landmark Appraisal of Toni Morrison's Literary Legacy
Namwali Serpell's On Morrison represents a monumental achievement in literary criticism, offering readers the rigorous appraisal of Toni Morrison's work that has been long overdue. This is not a biography of Chloe Anthony Wofford's life from Lorain, Ohio to Nobel laureate status, nor is it a collection of inspirational quotes for political discourse. Instead, Serpell provides what serious readers of Morrison have desperately needed: a deep, analytical examination of how the great novelist crafted her stories.
The Challenge of Reading Morrison Seriously
Despite Morrison's enormous contributions to American letters, her novels continue to be read primarily for their commentary on Black life rather than their literary craftsmanship. Song of Solomon and Jazz appear more frequently on African American studies syllabi than creative writing curricula. Serpell identifies the core issue in her introduction: "She is difficult to read. She is difficult to teach." As an author of ambitious, genre-defying novels herself, Serpell brings particular insight to what it means to be labeled "difficult" in literary circles.
Structural Analysis Across Morrison's Oeuvre
Across twelve meticulously crafted essays, Serpell examines Morrison's narrative strategies with scholarly precision. She begins with The Bluest Eye, analyzing how Morrison fractured the narrative through multiple character perspectives to force readers to actively reassemble the story of Pecola Breedlove. The fragmented structure creates a specific reading experience that avoids passive pity and instead demands self-interrogation from the audience.
Serpell demonstrates how Morrison's famous declaration that "the structure is the argument" manifests throughout her work. In Recitatif, Morrison's only published short story, she constructs a narrative around five encounters between two women—one white, one black—without ever revealing which is which. This deliberate ambiguity creates a guessing game that exposes the arbitrariness of racial categorization.
Archival Discoveries and Literary Influences
Serpell's research uncovers fascinating details from the archives, including the revelation that Recitatif began as a screenplay treatment for actors Marlo Thomas and Cicely Tyson. She traces how Morrison radically revised the story after reading Nettie Jones's Fish Tales, removing all racial codes to create her experimental narrative. These discoveries provide comforting evidence that even literary geniuses draw inspiration from their contemporaries.
The analysis extends to Morrison's use of humor, particularly in Song of Solomon, where Serpell examines how the novel "syncretizes disparate traditions" by grounding its narrative in both Greek and African folktales. She also explores Morrison's literary influences, from African elders like Camara Laye and Chinua Achebe to Bessie Head, while noting how Morrison addressed earlier oversights regarding Native American characters in her later novel A Mercy.
Balanced Criticism and Scholarly Integrity
Serpell maintains remarkable balance throughout her analysis, avoiding hagiography while demonstrating deep respect for her subject. She occasionally shifts from the critic's "I" to the professor's "we" (she teaches at Harvard University), guiding readers through complex texts with pedagogical care. Her criticisms are measured but honest—she acknowledges when Morrison's poetry falls short and critiques a post-9/11 essay as unworthy of the novelist's intellect.
These critical observations only strengthen Serpell's overall analysis, demonstrating her commitment to scholarly integrity rather than uncritical praise. Serpell's African background and immigrant experience provide unique perspective on both the centrality of Black experience in Morrison's work and the estrangement of peripheral characters.
A Multifaceted Contribution to Literary Studies
On Morrison succeeds on multiple levels: as a sophisticated study of literary craft, as a serious critical appraisal, and as a tribute to an artist who embraced difficulty as an essential component of her art. Serpell has produced exactly the book that Morrison's work deserves—one that takes her seriously as a literary artist while acknowledging the challenges her writing presents to readers and teachers alike.
This landmark work fills a significant gap in Morrison scholarship, moving beyond biographical details and political interpretations to examine the formal techniques and narrative strategies that make Morrison's novels enduring works of literary art. Serpell demonstrates that Morrison's difficulty is not an obstacle to be overcome but an essential quality of her genius—one that demands and rewards the kind of serious, sustained attention that On Morrison so brilliantly provides.
