Critical Overview Summaries
Although today Hurston is celebrated for her depictions of black communities and for her strong portrayals of women, Hurston was harshly criticized by many of her peers in the 1930s. Many condemned her for celebrating black folk culture in art and folklore instead of engaging in overt political protest against the racial oppression of blacks, especially in the urban centers where they converged. Critics felt that her writing style was too vulgar because of the use-age of the phonetics of the location and era, as well as her description of sexual happenings, although by today’s standards her descriptions would be considered fairly mild.