A Lesson Before Dying (For Further Study)

For Further Study

• Alvin Aubert, "Ernest J. Gaines: Overview," in Contemporary Novelists, 6th ed., edited by Susan Windisch Brown, St. James Press, 1996.

  The author provides not only points of comparison between the work of Gaines and Faulkner, but also an overview of how black-white relationships become the basic element in each of Gaines's novels.

• H. A. Baker, and P. Redmond, P, editors, AfroAmerican Literary Study in the 1990's (Black Literature and Culture), University of Chicago Press, 1989.

  This is first in a series of volumes dedicated to the scholarly study of African-American literature and culture.

• B. Bell, "African American Literature," in Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia [CD-ROM], Grolier Interactive, Inc., 1998.

  An explanation of the tradition of African-American literature and its attributes. The author explains the effects of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and nationality on literature and discusses African-American literature in terms of genres and their contributing writers.

• J. Dizard, "Racial Integration," in Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia [CD-ROM], Grolier Interactive, Inc., 1998.

  The author defines and gives the history of racial integration in the United States and provides references to Civil Rights acts of particular importance.

• D. C. Estes, Critical Reflections on the Fiction of Ernest J. Gaines, University of Georgia Press (Athens), 1994.

  This series of essays provides a comprehensive look at Gaines's work, including the themes he addresses, the techniques he uses, and his use of humor. The author also presents comparisons to other writers' works.

• R. Laney, Ernest J. Gaines: Louisiana Stories, Video Production by Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Louisiana Educational Television Authority. [Online] Available http://oscar.lpb.org/programs/gaines/, 1998.

  This video production provides viewers with an overview of the life of Ernest Gaines. Through interviews with Gaines, his lifetime acquaintances, and prominent writers and scholars, the viewer will come to an appreciation of Gaines and the influences on his writing.

• V. Smith, and A. Walton, editors, African American Writer, Charles Scribner Sons, 1991.

  A compilation of essays that are a combination of biography and literary criticism. They focus on the unique experiences of African Americans and their culture and tradition in the context of American history.