In its consideration of American Indian literature as a rich and exciting body of work, The Voice in the Margin
invites us to broaden our notion of what a truly inclusive American
literature might be, and of how it might be placed in relation to an
international--a "cosmopolitan"--literary canon. The book comes at a
time when the most influential national media have focused attention on
the subject of the literary canon. They have made it an issue not
merely of academic but of general public concern, expressing strong
opinions on the subject of what the American student should or should
not read as essential or core texts. Is the literary canon simply a
given of tradition and history, or is it, and must it be, constantly
under construction? The question remains hotly contested to the present
moment.
Arnold Krupat argues that the literary expression of the
indigenous peoples of the United States has claims on us to more than
marginal attention. Demonstrating a firm grasp of both literary history
and contemporary critical theory, he situates Indian literature,
traditional and modern, in a variety of contexts and categories. His
extensive knowledge of the history and current theory of ethnography
recommends the book to anthropologists and folklorists as well as to
students and teachers of literature, both canonical and noncanonical.
The materials covered, the perspectives considered, and the learning
displayed all make The Voice in the Margin a major contribution to the exciting field of contemporary cultural studies.