Meaning of "Recitatif"
"How does the title "Recitatif" fit into its story and meaning?"
When first hearing the word, "recitatif", I immediately assumed it was probably from French but I had no idea what the word meant. I won't lie--before reading the story, I did not take the time to research nor did I think the title would have that much of an impact on my understanding of the story. However, upon further investigation, I found that "recitatif", according to Dictionary.com, means:
1. of the nature of or resembling recitation or declamation
2. a style of vocal music intermediate between speaking and singing
3. a passage, part, or piece in this style
So how does this word relate to the plot of Toni Morrison's "Recitatif"? The definition of recitation is to repeat something aloud from memory. "Recitatif" is a story that relies largely on the memory of the characters. Morrison splits the story into five parts:
1. Twyla's memories of her and Roberta at St. Bonny's
2. Twyla and Roberta's encounter 8 years later at a restaurant where Twyla works
3. Twyla and Roberta's encounter 12 years later at the grocery store
4. Twyla and Roberta's participation in opposing strikes
5. Twyla and Roberta on Christmas Eve as Twyla is buying a Christmas tree
Based on these scenes, Morrison's story seems to largely be in the past tense and relies on the importance of memory and the character's perception of events. For example, one of the most significant memories of the orphanage that the two girls have is of the girl Maggie. The most interesting part is that neither of the girls can remember the events clearly and seem to have opposite thoughts about what happened--whether Maggie was white or black, whether she was bullied by them or not, etc. So quite literally, the title "Recitatif" refers to the idea that the plot revolves around the retelling or recitation of events from Twyla and Roberta's perspective.
Lastly, while I think the title "Recitatif" alludes to how the whole story is based on past events and the retelling of them but also goes to show how people's memory can differ. Many people perceive events in different ways and naturally, the human memory is not perfect, so I think this story really goes to show the unreliability of "recitatif", or the repetition of events from memory.
When first hearing the word, "recitatif", I immediately assumed it was probably from French but I had no idea what the word meant. I won't lie--before reading the story, I did not take the time to research nor did I think the title would have that much of an impact on my understanding of the story. However, upon further investigation, I found that "recitatif", according to Dictionary.com, means:
1. of the nature of or resembling recitation or declamation
2. a style of vocal music intermediate between speaking and singing
3. a passage, part, or piece in this style
So how does this word relate to the plot of Toni Morrison's "Recitatif"? The definition of recitation is to repeat something aloud from memory. "Recitatif" is a story that relies largely on the memory of the characters. Morrison splits the story into five parts:
1. Twyla's memories of her and Roberta at St. Bonny's
2. Twyla and Roberta's encounter 8 years later at a restaurant where Twyla works
3. Twyla and Roberta's encounter 12 years later at the grocery store
4. Twyla and Roberta's participation in opposing strikes
5. Twyla and Roberta on Christmas Eve as Twyla is buying a Christmas tree
Based on these scenes, Morrison's story seems to largely be in the past tense and relies on the importance of memory and the character's perception of events. For example, one of the most significant memories of the orphanage that the two girls have is of the girl Maggie. The most interesting part is that neither of the girls can remember the events clearly and seem to have opposite thoughts about what happened--whether Maggie was white or black, whether she was bullied by them or not, etc. So quite literally, the title "Recitatif" refers to the idea that the plot revolves around the retelling or recitation of events from Twyla and Roberta's perspective.
Lastly, while I think the title "Recitatif" alludes to how the whole story is based on past events and the retelling of them but also goes to show how people's memory can differ. Many people perceive events in different ways and naturally, the human memory is not perfect, so I think this story really goes to show the unreliability of "recitatif", or the repetition of events from memory.
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