TTLA: The fantastical element in Toni Morrison's novels

INFORMATION ABOUT THE DOCTORAL THESIS

1. Full name of the doctoral candidate:Nguyen Phuong Khanh

2. Gender:Female

3. Date of birth:28/03/1982                                       

4. Place of birth:Da Nang City

5. Decision number for admitting doctoral students:Decision No. 3676/QD-SDH, dated October 28, 2009, of the Director of Hanoi National University.

6. Changes in the training process:Are not

7. Thesis title:The fantastical element in Toni Morrison's novels.

8. Major:North American LiteratureCode:62.22.30.20

9. Scientific supervisor:Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dang Anh Dao

10. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:

- This dissertation delves deeper and more comprehensively into the most distinctive aspects of Toni Morrison's writing style. We offer new approaches (from a fantasy literature perspective) to the author's works, which have not yet been widely translated or studied in Vietnam.

ButThe mysticalThis is expressed primarily in a rich, mythical storyline built upon a socio-historical reality with strong political undertones. The thesis analyzed three typical forms of fantastical storylines:Original legend,Searching for the Holy GrailandThe legend of the cycle, associated with prominent motifs:Death and Rebirth,Sacrifice and Redemption, coupleMother and DaughterThese are "transformed archetypes," projections of life's archetypes, imbued with a magical quality, onto the narrative of the novel, representing the unconscious and life itself beyond the realm of perception.

- Closely linked to the plot and fantastical motifs is a system of characters that blend historical context with a breaking away from realism in character development. The thesis has surveyed and analyzed the fantastical aspects in the character imagery. Firstly,mythical characterThis manifests in two forms: ghosts that are sometimes invisible and lurking, sometimes appearing full of hatred, and ghost characters reborn as humans. The second is...dichotomous characterThis creates a blend of reality and fantasy, propelling the story's events toward a fantastical direction—a kind of psychological fantasy, which, in our opinion, is characteristic of Toni Morrison's style. Thirdly,"Mystic" character– They possess prophetic powers, healing abilities, and the capacity to perform cleansing and resurrection rituals. Their origins are obscure, their appearances mysterious, yet they can guide and assist the protagonist on their "adventure" to discover their roots and rediscover their identity and that of their community.

- Aiming to uncover a unique experimental aspect of Toni Morrison's writing in terms of fantastical discourse, this thesis examines the narrator's discourse from the following perspectives:real-virtual discourse(Based on the first-person narrator's statements, who is a fantastical/mysterious character, and statements that are prophetic or foretold);revolving discourse(the recurring nature of discourses across multiple levels) andmusical discourse(The discourse is heavily influenced by jazz music and incorporates many African American folk songs and melodies as a storytelling element – ​​this, we consider, to be the most interesting characteristic of Toni Morrison's writing style).

- The thesis develops a more specific and comprehensive understanding of the concept.The mysticalThis thesis aims to affirm the existence and development trends of modern fantasy literature. Through examining the expression and aesthetic value of fantasy writing in a representative literary phenomenon – the writer Toni Morrison – the thesis contributes some results to the study of literature using modern theory.

11. Practical applications (if any):

- Compiling reference materials and textbooks on American literature for students.

12. Further research directions (if any):

- Expand your understanding to encompass the entire artistic world of Toni Morrison (a comprehensive survey of the author's works).

- Compare the fantastical elements in Toni Morrison's writing style with those of many other writers who also write in the fantastical style.

13. Published works relevant to the thesis (list works in chronological order):

1. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2008), "Cycle structure in novels"Pampersby Toni Morrison,” MagazineScience & Technology, University of Da Nang(5), pp.96-105.

2. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2010), “Music as a structure and symbol in the novel”Pampersby Toni MorrisonBorderline - Research and Criticism, Literature Publishing House, pp. 9-22.

3. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2012), “Fragmented Time in Novels”Pampersby Toni Morrison”, YearbookNational Conference for Young Faculty Members of Teacher Training Universities Nationwide, Hue University Publishing House, pp. 446-454.

4. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2012), “On the conceptOriginal legendand the model of the legendary hero's journey in the novel.Song of Solomonby Toni Morrison,” MagazineForeign Literature(5), pp.94-115.

5. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2012),Toni Morrison and the novel,Literature Publishing House.

6. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2013), “The fantastic and intertextual elements in novels”PampersandJazzby Toni Morrison,” National Conference ProceedingsPostmodernism – Theory and Practice, Hanoi University of Education Publishing House, pp. 223-234.

7. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2013), “Plot and mythical motifs in Toni Morrison’s novels”, ProceedingsNational Conference for Young Faculty Members of Teacher Training Universities Nationwide, Da Nang Publishing House, pp. 328-333.

8. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2013), “Sethe and the evidenceHysteria –NovelPampers(Toni Morrison) from a Psychoanalytic PerspectiveBorderline 2 - Research and Criticism, Da Nang Publishing House, pp. 229-358.

9. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2015), “Magical characters in Toni Morrison’s novels”, JournalScience & Education, University of Education, University of Da Nang (15), pp.45-50.

INFORMATION ON DOCTORAL THESIS

1. Full name: Nguyen Phuong Khanh 2. Sex:Female

3. Date of birth:March 28^th, 19824. Place of birth:Danang City – Vietnam

5. Admission decision number:3676/QD-SDHDated:October 28^th, 2009 by the President of Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

6. Changes in academic process:No

7. Official thesis title:The magical in Toni Morrison's novels

8. Major:North American Literature9. Code:62.22.30.20

10. Supervisors:Prof. DANG ANH DAO

11. Summary of a new findings of the thesis:

- The Thesis intensively and comprehensively examines the best of Toni Morrison's writing style. We adopt brand-new approaches (from the magical literature aspect) to Morrison's works which are still not translated and widely studied in Vietnam.

- First of all,themagicalis expressed in a storyline heavily inspired by mythologies, built upon the foundation of the magical realism along with political aspects. The thesis reviews three typical kinds of magicalplotsThe Monomyth, the Quest for the Holy Grail and Mythical Cycle,which follows dominant motifs like:WaterandRessurrection, SacrificeandRedemption, MotherandDaughter.These are 'transformed archetypes', the reflections of reality's “mysteries” upon literature's magical way of thinking, which indicates the unconscious and the unknown boundaries of life itself.

- Bound to the story and the magical motif are characters conveying both history and the breaking-away from reality in the way of creating a character. This thesis examines and analyzes magical aspects of each character. The first aspect is themagic exists,expressed in two forms: the invisible lurking spectres filled with anger and menace, and the phantoms that reborn into a human being. The second one is thedichotomythat creates imaginary yet realistic symbols as well as steers the events of the story toward a more fantasy road; this is but a type of magical – drama, which we consider to be Toni Morrison's signature writing style. The third aspect is the character type withmagic power– one with abilities of prophesying, medication, and conducting purify and ressurrection rituals. They have ambiguous identities yet are able to guide and support the protagonists during the 'adventure' to discover one's or society's roots and origins.

- To discover Tony Morrison's unique style in terms of using magical discourse, the thesis examines story-telling discourses in the following criteria:realistic – imaginary discourse(based on the first-person narrator, who is a fantasy/ mystical character with prophetic and prescient speeches);valve rhythm(the repetition of discourse on various scales) andmusical discourse(Jazz-influenced discourse and the inclusion of folk songs from the African American community to convey a story – which we consider to be the most interesting trait of Toni Morrison's writing style).

- The thesis constructs an unambiguous and complete idea ofthe magical, aiming to confirm the existence and development trend of the modern magical literature. Through the analysis of features and values ​​of typical literature phenomenon Toni Morrison's magical style, the thesis provides further findings for literature researchs using modern theories.

12. Practical applicability, if any:

- The result is a sourcebook of material, information, and ideas on teaching and research Toni Morrison's novels to undergraduates and graduate students as well.

13. Further research directions, if any:

- Further examine the whole literature world of Toni Morrison (study all her works)

- Compare Toni Morrison's magical style to other authors in the same magical genre.

14. Thesis-related publications: (List in chronological order)

1. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2008), “Circular structure inBelovedof Toni Morrison”, University of DanangJournal of Science and Technology,Vol.5 (28), pp.96-105.

2. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2010), “Music as the structure and symbols inBelovedof Toni Morrison”,The Boundaries–Research andCriticism, Literature Publishing House, pp.9-22.

3. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2012), “Fragmented TimeinBelovedof Toni Morrison”,Journalof The National Conference of Young Lecturers from Universities of Education, Hue University Publishing House, pp.446-454.

4. Nguyen Phuong Khanh(2012), “About term Monomyth and a Pattern of the Myth Hero's Journey inSong of Solomonof Toni Morrison”,Journal of Foreign Literature(5), pp.94-115.

5. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2012),Toni Morrison and thenovels,Literature Publishing House.

6. Nguyen Phuong Khanh(2013), “The Magical and Intertextuality inBelovedandJazzof Toni Morrison”,JournalofThe National Conference onPostmodernism –Theory and Practice, Hanoi University of Education Publishing House, pp.223-234.

7. Nguyen Phuong Khanh(2013), “Plot and Mythic Motifs in Toni Morrison's novels”,Journal ofThe National Conference of Young Lecturers from Universities of Education, Danang Publishing House, pp.328-333.

8. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2013), “Sethe andHysteria –APsychoanalytical Approach toToni Morrison'sBeloved,The Boundaries–ResearchandCriticism, Vol.2, Danang Publishing House, pp.229-358.

9. Nguyen Phuong Khanh (2015), “Magic characters in Toni Morrison's novels”,Journal ofScience and Education- The University of Danang- University of Education (15), pp.45-50.