Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon: A Casebook

by Jan Furman (Editor), Julius Lester, Michael Awkward

The essays in this volume represent the major currents in critical thinking about Song of Solomon , Toni Morrison's widely acclaimed examination of the individual quest for self-knowledge in the context of the African-American experience. This collection offers a broad overview of the scholarship that has emerged in the decades since the 1977 publication of Morrison's third novel. These essays provide a map of the primary themes of Song of Solomon , covering subjects such as self-identity, the rituals of manhood and reading, and the importance of naming, and also explore the novel's incorporation of African myth and African-American folklore. The casebook opens with "The People Could Fly," the African folktale from which Song of Solomon draws important aspects of its plot and major theme, and closes with an interview with Toni Morrison about her life and work as a novelist.

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 27, 2003

Reviews

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely read. Morrison weaves myth and gritty experiance to create a soul filled experience.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains a good variety of essays and interviews, mostly about Song of Solomon, but many articles incorporate discussions of other Morrison novels as well. I didn't particularly find useful the articles that compare Morrison to other writers because she herself downplays those comparisons.