Narrative Strategy in Toni Morrison’s Jazz

Abstract

African-American cultural expression has long sought alternative modes of representation that transcend the constraints of conventional European literary structures. Jazz, with its African musical roots and European stylistic elements, emerged as a hybrid art form capable of expressing complex cultural identities. This syncretism evolved into a literary methodology known as "literary jazz." Despite its recognition as a metaphorical and stylistic device, the specific mechanisms through which literary jazz translates musical improvisation into narrative strategy remain underexplored, especially in the context of Toni Morrison’s Jazz. This article investigates how Morrison's novel Jazz utilizes the principles of jazz music—improvisation, polyphony, call-and-response—to reconstruct African-American historical experience and identity through literary form. The analysis reveals that Morrison dismantles traditional linear storytelling by employing multiple narrative voices, temporal shifts, and fragmented dialogues that mirror the structure of jazz compositions. These techniques allow for the articulation of collective memory, trauma, and liberation. The study introduces a refined understanding of literary jazz as both an expressive tool and a method of cultural resistance, positioning Morrison’s work as a textual embodiment of jazz aesthetics. By framing Morrison’s narrative through the lens of jazz, this research offers a methodological pathway for analyzing other African-American texts and encourages further inquiry into cross-modal artistic translations in literature