Zona Gale: Her Life and Writings (title on container: Zona Gale: 1874-1938) 1988
Distributed by Her Own Words, PO Box 5264, Madison, WI 53705; 608-271-7083
Produced by Jocelyn Riley
Directed by Jocelyn Riley
VHS, color, 15 min.
High School - Adult
History, Women's Studies, Literature
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Rue Herbert, Head, Library Media Resources, University of South Florida, TampaZona Gale wrote of life from a Midwest point of view during the first part of the 20th century, and received a Pulitzer Prize in 1921. Zona Gale: Her Life and Writings allows the viewer to observe scenes from her life and works through photographs and artistic renderings, while listening to personal reflections conveyed by her writings.
The very brief program does not provide an in depth look at the author or her writing, but rather introduces the viewer to a melancholic and whimsical description of moments in Gale's life, her motivation, and her words. The photographs and various types of illustrations are good quality. The narrative is fairly interesting and marginally informative, but the narrator's vocals are occasionally muffled.
Zona Gale: Her Life and Writings is part of an ambitious group of videos dealing with women artists and writers produced by Jocelyn Riley. Because of its brevity and limited depth of coverage, this program might only be appropriate for academic libraries supporting certain American literature or women's studies curricula.