Jonah’s Gourd Vine

E59671

Jonah’s Gourd Vine is Zora Neale Hurston’s debut novel, a semi-autobiographical work that explores Black life in the rural American South through the rise and fall of a charismatic preacher.

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Predicate Object
instanceOf debut novel
novel
semi-autobiographical novel
adaptationStatus no major film adaptation as of 2024
author Zora Neale Hurston
contains accounts of migration from rural South to other regions
depictions of Black church culture
scenes of domestic conflict
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
firstEditionFormat print
followedBy Mules and Men
genre African-American literature
Bildungsroman
Southern literature
hasCriticalReception noted for its complex portrayal of a flawed male protagonist
praised for its authentic depiction of Black Southern life
recognized as an important early work of African-American fiction
hasReissue reprinted by various publishers in late 20th century
influencedBy Zora Neale Hurston’s early life in Eatonville, Florida
language English
literaryMovement Harlem Renaissance
mainCharacter John Buddy Pearson
narrativeStyle third-person narration
notableFeature extensive use of Black Southern dialect
integration of folklore and oral tradition
originalPublisher J. B. Lippincott & Co.
surface form: Lippincott
protagonistOccupation Baptist preacher
publicationYear 1934
setting rural American South
settingPeriod early 20th century
subject African-American preachers
post-Emancipation Black experience
rural communities in the American South
theme Black life in the rural American South
charisma and leadership
family and ancestry
gender roles
marriage and infidelity
migration and mobility
race and racism
religion and spirituality
titleAllusion Book of Jonah
biblical gourd vine metaphor

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Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Zora Neale Hurston notableWork Jonah’s Gourd Vine