This volume collects some of the finest pieces of Morrison scholarship to date. Original essays consider Morrison's body of work and the cultural contexts in which that work was written. An essay by leading African American literary scholar Trudier Harris provides a sweeping overview of the importance of Morrison's first six novels. Another original essay examines the notions of community and identity in works such as Beloved, Jazz, and Paradise. Other essays examine the style and structure of Morrison's works and consider the oral tradition exemplified in Morrison's rhetorical tropes.