A Great Book With a Problematic Author: Alice Walker's The Color Purple, A Pulitzer Prize Deep Dive
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ธ.ค. 2023
- The Color Purple is an American literary masterpiece that won a Pulitzer Prize and has been adapted as a film twice. But author Alice Walker has some controversial opinions. Does that impact how we see her work? Expand for more information. 👇
Links 💻
My Website Post (With Links and Sources): supposedlyfun.com/2023/12/27/...
Further Viewing 🎥
My Pulitzer Prize Ranking (So Far): • Pulitzer Winner Rankin...
What Is the Great American Novel? • What Is the Great Amer...
1917: The Origins of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: • The Origins of the Pul...
1918: Did the Wrong Book Win? • Did the Wrong Book Win...
1935: Now in November: Was the Youngest Pulitzer Winner Blacklisted? • Was the Youngest Pulit...
1937: Is Gone With the Wind Racist? • Is Gone With the Wind ...
1940: Is The Grapes of Wrath Plagiarism? • Is The Grapes of Wrath...
1986: Is Lonesome Dove the Great American Novel? • Is Lonesome Dove the G...
1988: Beloved and the Ghosts of Slavery: • Can America Reckon Wit...
2010: How On Earth Did Tinkers Win a Pulitzer? • How On Earth Did Tinke...
The 2012 Pulitzer Controversy: • Do Book Prizes Owe Us ...
2018: Less: What Type of Book Deserves to Win Book Awards? • What Type of Book Dese...
2022: Why Did The Netanyahus Win a Pulitzer? • Why Did The Netanyahus...
2023: How Did Trust and Demon Copperhead Tie? • How Did Demon Copperhe...
Titles Mentioned 📚
The Color Purple, Alice Walker: bookshop.org/a/99775/97801431...
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Anne Tyler: bookshop.org/a/99775/97804499...
Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi: bookshop.org/a/99775/97811019...
Time Stamps ⏰
Snapshot: 1982: 03:22
What Is The Color Purple About? 06:58
What Does the Title of The Color Purple Mean? 12:34
Why Did This Win a Pulitzer Prize? 13:37
Is This Novel Any Good? 14:27
Who Is Alice Walker? 18:14
Is The Color Purple Problematic? 20:05
Should Alice Walker or The Color Purple Be Canceled? 27:01
Are There Adaptations or Sequels? 34:31
Is The Color Purple the Great American Novel? 35:09
What Was The Color Purple's Competition for the Pulitzer? 35:29
Should The Color Purple Have Won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction? 37:55
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Email: supposedlyfungreg-at-gmail.com
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This video confirms you as one of the strongest exponents for reading for development of healthy dialogue and critical thinking. Thank you for your insight and promotion of reading and writing as one of the most important human endeavors any of us can undertake in life.
Thank you so much! That means a great deal to me.
Greg, thank you so much for making this video. There are so many people I know who aren't aware of Walker's problematic views. It's so tough because The Colour Purple is such a well loved and important book for so many. The only approach to this that has brought be some peace for my own decisions about supporting/not supporting controversial artists is that while they are alive, I'll take a pass. I'll wait until they are buried and gone and can't spread hate to support their (often) brilliant work.
Thank you for that analysis. I will be going to the movie soon. I am not one to support problematic businesses, and that would include authors. And I am never afraid to express myself as to the “why”. I was tortured by seemingly thoughtful people when my brother had AIDS. It was not forgivable, and the people that did that were teachers. Conspiracy theories are hurting our country so much. I’m angry that Americans could be so gullible and mean. But I’m thrilled that there are so many kind people that make up for the others! I noticed your shirt- it matched the cover of the book perfectly!
It's strange--- these questions about problematic artists seem complex, yet somewhat simple at the same time. Complex because the nature of art, artists and influence is always a bit complex. On the other hand, books and publishing are also a business and a product. I will never eat at Chick Fil A (not even sure if I spelled it correctly), despite hearing many people say how tasty their chicken is--- also won't step into Hobby Lobby. Of course books are not the same as fast food, but we definitely don't have the same issues of separating the business owner from the product as we do the artist from the art. The Harry Potter books were literally my friends when I needed them. They did so much in terms of childhood literacy, making reading cool and exciting, etc. But I never want to put a cent into Rowling's pockets again, unless she evolves from her bigotry, and that includes not just abstaining from her books, but any adaptations as well, anything that will exalt or encourage people to read her book and put money in her pocket, money that will continue to allow her a huge platform to share her bigotry. I think Louis C.K. had seriously thought-provoking and sometimes beautiful episodes of television, as well as some truly remarkably human and hilarious stand-up, but I can't watch his stuff anymore, and will never recommend it to anyone. Hollywood forgiving Mel Gibson--- more than forgiving really, encouraging him to thrive--- is something that will always disgust me. I have never read Alice Walker for similar reasons. Just like I have never read Orson Scott Card.I have no doubt there is much good in her book. I have no doubt there is brilliance in it. There are just so many brilliant people who do not use success to hurt others. This movie musical will bring people back to her book, which will encourage some of those people to seek out more about her, which will lead some people to her dangerous rhetoric, and, while many may be horrified, even if one person who was so moved by her work takes that admiration and thinks, "Well, if Alice Walker feels that way, and she's so brilliant, maybe there's something to it..." I don't know. Maybe that's a farfetched mentality for me, and an impossible purity test, especially since I am not perfect. It is complex. But I have never had a second thought about passing by a Chick Fil A or a Hobby Lobby. And I have no problem walking by Alice Walker in a bookstore.
I agree with you. From my perspective, if the artist/entrepreneur/generally offensive person is still alive (I feel differently if they are long gone and can't continue to spew hate) and will profit from my consumption or promotion of them or their work, I will pass. My book club wanted to read The Color Purple last year and none of the members had knowledge of Alice Walker's extreme anti-semitism. I think it's really important to consider what you support and what you don't even when the work is good or even great. As you mention, there are plenty more brilliant artists and works in the world that don't come with any danger attached.
I have read this about 6 times, and seen the original film at least 2 dozen times. I was so devastated when someone just recently pointed out she was problematic. its like my whole childhood got snatched out from under me! my mother and I used to watch it anytime wed stumble into it on television.
It definitely feels like being slapped in the face.
It goes deeper than that. She repeatedly holds up the ideas of someone who believes that Jewish people are controlling the world or are actually lizard people aliens. She has helped spread hateful ideas about Jewish people and then used her activism about Israel as a cover.
Greg, I extremely enjoyed this past hour listening to your analysis of the "controversy" over The Color Purple. Your analysis was excellent, objective and subjective (which is the point of the controversy) and thorough. Best of all you bring forward how important we the readers are in the literary process.
Your thought-provoking review helped me parse out literary value v. author's personal values. I this case, I concur with your conclusion that this book shines in its own glow of enlightenment even as its author travels down a road to faulty and harmful misinformation .
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that my first reaction to your deep- dive review was "Wow! This is so much better than any literary review I have read in the New York Times."
When I read (as a white person) The Color Purple, it opened my mind in so many ways. For that I will always be thankful. The book has only grown in its greatness, however, it's sad to learn its author has not.
Thanks again for this thought-provoking review.
Love this - “It’s just not good if numerous people have pointed out to you that you are holding up a set of ideas that have been hurtful to a group of people, and your response is to deny that …”. Well said 👍🏽
🤗🥂
Thanks for this. I appreciate your thoughtful comments about Walker’s controversial statements and cancel culture in general. The messy feelings I get as a reader with new knowledge about authors whose work I’ve previously enjoyed is of great interest to me. That’s why Claire Dederer’s essay collection Monsters has really stuck with me since reading it.
I've heard great things about Monsters. I may try to read it in 2024.
Thank you for your always fantastic deep dives. I read one of Walker's poetry books a few years ago and didn't like it but my libby finally got the audiobook of The Colour Purple so I'm excited to listen to it (and in that way it isn't monetary support).
I do think I feel more comfortable with The Colour Purple as well as it is 40 years ago. The Alice Walker of 1982 is not the same Alice Walker of 2023. There's a 'your entire lifetime' in between that time. And we will still hold her accountable and all but I think it is easier for me to seperate that because there isn't problematic content within versus if even the same book came out now and then six months later or concurrently she was saying the same things, it would be harder to distant even a good book from a problematic author.
Interestingly enough I am reading Margaret Atwood's debut novel right now (The Edible Woman, 1969) and it's 54 years old and there's things that age it and I know that Atwood didn't identify as a feminist in 1985 when The Handmaid's Tale came out but now she does and she can retroactively be like 'yeah, I wasn't as educated and it is totally feminist.' And she's expanded her views. She's ten years older than Walker but I think I can see how it can go the opposote way. Not that Atwood started out problematic, but as she has become more informed she has changed and admitted that she disagrees with more limiting ideas from the past vs Walker becoming more and more close minded and abrasive.
That is a very interesting difference in how a person can evolve over time. I find it fascinating to look into these things and see what I can learn about literature, humanity, and progress. Hopefully, if we have the difficult conversations we can all begin to move forward. 🥂
Thank you for making this video. I appreciate how you do these deep dives and this one, in particular, deserves attention.
Thank you so much! They’re a lot of work but I enjoy doing them.
I love how the colors of your shirt resemble the book cover (and the title of the book) 😆
I didn't know about the controversies.
Most people don't know about the controversies. I confess the shirt was chosen deliberately. 🤗
Thank you ! A calm ,thoughtful , intelligent, interesting and kind video .
Thoughtful and informative. Ty Greg!
Thank you!
Since not a fan of ET or Pee-Wee , just curious what/who were some of your favorites?
I was much more into The Goonies, Care Bears, Sesame Street, Mr Rogers, He-Man, and playing with my sister’s Barbies!
very well said! i think you fall very much where I do on this topic and similar ones.
Hi Greg, thank you for this deep dive.
Thank you for watching!
In Jim Harrison's memoir, he tells a story about asking Walker to sign a copy of one of her books. Walker refused, only signing books presented to her by women.
Wow!
A great deep dive - I so like the idea of cultural background and history as a way to place a book on the world timeline. I encouraged my students to do this and when I present a new novel or other such item I do this. I also like placing historical events (like wars, elections, clothing, etc) on a cultural timeline. I also like your research. Ever teach lit? Thank you for doing this. Well done. Just added Color Purple to my Reread List for 2024 rewatch of the original movie. Thank you for another outstanding video.
Thank you so much! I have never been a teacher but if I could go back, I might rethink that.
Until now I haven't forgotten your deep dive about Gone With The Wind it's my favourite.
حب كبير لقناتك تعيش وتقول ترشيحات سمحة.
قمصانك الرهيبة دي يوم بتجيب اجلي 🤩
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoy the shirts. 😊
love your deep dives. bravo.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for an objective review of the book and the Author’s controversies. There are many Authors where I do not agree with their views on Politics, Religion, Morality, Sexuality, and many more. I still read their works. I also have friends and acquaintances where I don’t fully agree on many topics. We are still friends The question for me is when the views become extreme and make me uncomfortable, what actions do I take. I do not believe in the current atmosphere of polarization, but I will personally decide to further support the Author or not. ( also “unfriend” someone) The problem today is that some will violently criticize the personal decision of others.
It's never an easy decision when deciding what author/artist/etc. to support and when they have crossed a line. But I do think it matters to have the conversations and to consider the implications.
Maybe discussing the importance of the church in the community would add more context books like the black church that was published maybe two years ago and also e franklin frazier. Deesha philyaw published an amazing collection of short stories the secret lives of church ladies would provide great additional reading for those who havent read it.
Good timing! I'm reading this for the first time now because of the new movie. I'm going to watch the Spielberg movie this weekend.
Whoopi Goldberg is incredible in the Spielberg movie.
@@SupposedlyFun I stayed up all night reading. Loved the book!
@@SupposedlyFun I watched the movie. I wanted to give Celie a big hug. I think Oprah would not have gotten the Oscar nomination if she had not been Oprah.
I'm one of the ones that hadn't heard about her views...if anything I thought this author was dead. But your discussion is so interesting about how people should learn and educate themselves. And I had never heard about the lizard people, wow. One of my husband's student is doing a dissertation on conspiracy theories and it's truly fascinating. Thank you for your chat about the book itself as well and about whether we can separate art from artist. I agree it's not just cancel or forgive, great way to bring that up. If I decide to read it, I'll grab it from the library I think.
I liked The Color Purple but I loved Women of Brewster Place. Naylor was a genius.
The Women of Brewster Place is a wonderful book. I look forward to reading more of Naylor's work.
Underrated great thinker here on yt there is an interview w naylor discussing the commonalities between passing and the great gasby. She was so amazing!!!
@@Thepeejay I am going to try to find this. Thanks!
i read the color purple 25 years ago. i was considering rereading it this year; i've been rereading books first read in my teen years the last year or two... but i just saw your review here. i was completely unaware of Alice Walker's controversial views. i think ill skip the reread. thanks for your videos! love your Pulitzer Project. also, i didn't like E.T. or Pee Wee Herman as a kid either!
I’m glad I wasn’t alone on ET and Pee Wee! I’m trying to hold onto my appreciation of The Color Purple while also acknowledging who Alice Walker is today.
This was very informative. Thanks.
Thank you for watching!
Thank you for your insightful analysis.
I am German and in the current line of events we can see where cancel culture leads us. In Germany a Jewish artist (Candice Breitz) had her exhibition cancelled because she took a stance against area bombing Ghaza in the Israel/Hamas war. Considering German 20th century history, just let this sit for a moment!
I think cancel culture hinders intellectual progress and I want to state just the two most obvious reasons: 1.) there is no absolute good and bad in any cause, by cancelling our critics, we deny ourself the chance to deal with more problematic sides of any issue and therefore to discuss and solve them and progress. 2.) by cancelling our critics we deny us the chance to discuss with them and alter their point of view by reasoning with them.
I think cancel culture is a sign of great intellectual lazyness. It is so much easier to just refuse discussing something rather than to have to deal and argue with a controversial standpoint. But in the end it will halt intellectual evolution, which is very dangerous.
I don´t know who came up with the idea (well I think I know and I don´t like it, because it hits very close to my own political homeland) that there are about 50% good and 50% evil people on this planet and the evil ones are those that don´t support our point of view. I think this notion belongs more in a Marvel comic world than to reality!
I do think a lot of the critiques of cancel culture tend to be overblown or misunderstand/refuse to see the point of why something or someone is problematic. But I think/hope that if we have these difficult conversations, we can begin to move forward and make progress.
Thank you for a thoughtful and well balanced video. I think Alice Walker is harmful to more than the people she has explicitly targeted. I am always disappointed when someone who has been a bit of a feminist icon turns out to be a TERF. And as someone who has advocated for the Palestinian people since I was 15, and who have had to continuously explain that opposition to the State of Israel is not the same as anti-semitism (no matter what various governments and courts around the world have illogically decided lately), well, to discover that someone so prominent in that cause actually backs some crazy lizard-people theory and attacks the Talmud... let's just say it makes me want to beat my head against a wall and cry. I also had no idea that people actually and genuinely believe in the lizard people thing. Now I feel conflicted about my nostalgic memories of the 80s tv-series V.
Yes, it's so disappointing that actual activism turned into something so bizarre for her--and especially disappointing that she has become so entrenched. And I agree that the harm ripples out to damage more than just the intended targets.
I had no idea. That was insightful and informative. It seems that some creative people who have a high level of genius sometimes cross a line where their rational thinking divorces itself from their previous beliefs or accepted norms and stray into the area of conspiracy. Alice Walker and JK Rowling are two of many examples.
'82 baby here too!
It was a good year!
It's depressing to see an author who showed so much empathy for her characters exhibit so little empathy in her real life. I have often found that the loudest social justice warriors (using that term neutrally) often become rigid demagogues at a certain point. They become the very thing they fought against all those years. It makes me question all the time and money I spent on reading and buying Walker's books.
I think everyone-loud or not-needs to be careful about becoming too rigid or entrenched over time. It’s a human problem.
Brilliant video 👍🏽
Thank you 😊
Thank you for the clarification of when separation of art and artist is reasonable and when it's not. Plus getting items that are used. (Do you think the antisemitism is because she's mad about the Jewish director and it spiralled?) Lots of love from the Pacific Northwest 🧡
There were definitely animosities that spread from the movie, but it appears that although Walker balked at Spielberg getting the gig at first, and she has been critical of the decision to downplay the lesbian storyline, she did come around to appreciating the movie and what Spielberg did.
My dad helped me get The Color Purple on the kindle i received for Christmas as i'd wanted to read it for years. I'd no knowledge till now that Alice Walker was such a terrible person, & now after having just seen your video i'm not sure if i can even bring myself to read the book. I honestly feel ashamed of myself for having the book now but unfortunately the damage is already done. I will never make the mistake of buying any of Alice Walker's other books.
Have you read Caroline Miller's Lamb in His Bosom? I find Alice Walker's anti-Semitism revolting, but I am fascinated by the three Georgia novelists to win Pulitzer Prizes: Caroline Miller, Margaret Mitchell, and Alice Walker.
Reading the first part of the book I was telling people I completely understood why it would win the Pulitzer Prize. Despite the horrible events depicted, I was blown away by how well Alice Walker handled her material. The second half of the book did not go as well. I was not bothered by the missionary work in Africa. I thought it brought some informative information about oppressive colonial white historic behavior and African reactions to white influences. The experiences of the sister Nettie needed to be covered since Celie was devastated by their separation and harped over it and since the book is closed with their happy reunion after many years. I was fine with the lesbian love aspect of the novel, which I thought was understandable and not overly salacious. I think Walker did get lost in portraying the overly loose sexual behavior for many of her main characters in the second half of the book. The material got away from her a bit. The second half of the novel was just not as tight as the first.
Thanks a lot, Greg, for this great vid. I’ve read tons of Rowling’s anti-trans posts on Twitter but knew nothing about AW’s equally bigoted beliefs. I will be digging around to read at least some of them for myself. I read TCP decades ago & gave up my copy so have to decide whether to acquire a new one. I hope you’ll indulge a mention here of another PP winner, Peter Taylor’s A Summons to Memphis. I’m eager to know if you’ve read it yet & whether you’ll do a “deep dive” vid on it. As always, thank you!! 😊
I haven’t read A Summons to Memphis yet but have been considering reading it soon(ish). The plot really appeals to me. Thanks for the recommendation.
@@SupposedlyFun Actually I haven’t read it yet either but have had a copy for years & since it’s a PP winner was just wondering if you had & if you might do a deep dive on it one day. Thanks & Happy New Year!! 😊
@@susanneill7142 Happy new year! There will definitely be a deep dive on Summons to Memphis at some point.
It has been many years since I decided to read a book by an author who I really disliked for their many ideas and actions. The book was wonderful, and I am glad I read it. The point that I am making is if I opposed an author because of their beliefs then I would have missed an excellent reading adventure. I have read COLOR PURPLE and watched the film. It is an outstanding book and movie. I don't own writers, artists, poets and so on. What they do and say outside of their work is none of my business. Life is so much simpler if I just look at the work they produced.
To me, this is a case where you can enjoy the book without engaging in Walker’s difficult contemporary beliefs-but I also think it’s important to acknowledge where she is now so we can avoid falling into the same trap.
I like your thoughts but as a Jew I needed to correct your pronunciation of Talmud.
Break 'talmud' down into sounds: [TAL] + [MUUD] - say it out loud and exaggerate the sounds until you can consistently produce them.
I am an old straight white women who read The Color Purple in the mid eighties. It melted my heart, and mind. I am profoundly saddened by the authors irresponsible support of antisemitic conspiracies.
It makes me sad, too. I’m trying to hold on to my love of the book while acknowledging who Alice Walker is today.