The popularity and importance of Toni Morrison as an African American author dictates that her work will likely play a prominent role in the curricula of many English literature courses. Her writing is rich and full of complex themes and influences. This volume provides useful access points for the student or interested reader, handling different aspects of and approaches to her work in varying depth.
Morrison’s work is the subject of a large volume of critical studies – a select bibliography is included to guide the reader onwards in their research. This encyclopaedia does not replace those in depth studies. It is most useful to assist readers in dipping in and out of Morrison’s novels and themes, looking at how given topics recur in the different texts.
The contributors are literary academics from universities across the USA, most with specialisms in the fields of African American or women’s literature. The shorter entries introduce characters and places from the books, giving a synopsis of their stories and their importance in the text. Longer essays cover the general themes to be found running through the books. Some of those explored include issues of race, violence, spirituality, myth, motherhood, masculinity and identity. Discussions of different critical approaches to Morrison’s work provide useful overviews from ecocritical, feminist/black feminist, historical, pedagogical, post‐colonial and womanist perspectives, every essay ending with a list of references. Each of Morrison’s published works also gets a longer entry, the storyline and important points being summarised in up to ten pages.
The quality of the contributions is impressive, the scope reasonably exhaustive. This book would be an invaluable reference tool for a student working on an essay or dissertation about Morrison’s work – the ability to quickly look up particular characters and remind oneself about their significance is convenient. The discussions of theme and critical approaches are thoughtful and well illustrated. This volume would not look out of place in a range of collections, school libraries for the older reader, public and academic libraries. Though the cost of £58 may seem rather steep, it is probably worth it given the depth of research that seems to have gone into it, and its scope and accessibility.
