Louise Erdrich

Louise Erdrich is one of the most critically and commercially successful Native American writers. This book is the first fully comprehensive treatment of Erdrichs writing, analysing the textual complexities and diverse contexts of her work to date. Drawing on the critical archive relating to Erdrichs work and Native American literature, Stirrup explores the full depth and range of her authorship. Breaking Erdrichs oeuvre into several groupings - poetry, early and late fiction, memoir and childrens writing - Stirrup develops individual readings of both the critical arguments and the texts themselves. He argues that Erdrichs work has developed an increasing political acuity to the relationship between ethics and aesthetics in Native American literatures. Erdrichs insistence on being read as an American writer is shown to be in constant and mutually-inflecting dialogue with her Ojibwe heritage. This sophisticated analysis is of use to students and readers at all levels of engagement with Erdrichs writing. -- .