The Color Purple

Alice Walker and The Color Purple

Taking place in 1930s Georgia, Alice Walker's The Color Purple is an epistolary novel that gives an insight into the life of African-American women.

Alice Walker

Alice Walker - Wikipedia Alice Walker (born 1944) is a celebrated American novelist and short story writer. Born into a large family as one of eight siblings in Georgia, she rose to prominence as an author and civil rights activist. Read more . . .

Context of The Color Purple

Jim Crow laws - Wikipedia Having experienced first-hand the struggle of living under segregation, Alice Walker wrote The Color Purple against the backdrop of the civil rights struggle . Read more . . .

Dive in to the The Color Purple text guide

Synopsis and commentary - read a letter by letter summary and commentary on The Color Purple.

Characterisation - find out about the main protagonists in the novel and analyse their characters.

Themes and significant ideas; Imagery, metaphor and symbolism - Research themes, ideas and imagery that feature in the book.

How to do well in your The Color Purple essay

Decide what the key words of the question are, and underline them.

If you are asked to analyse an extract, read it through two or three times.

Do not adopt the first possible approach - be willing to dispute the terms of the question if you are given the opportunity.

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