This Norton Critical Edition of The Conjure Stories arranges the tales
chronologically by composition date, allowing readers to discern how
Chesnutt experimented with plots and characters and with the idea of the
conjure story over time. With one exception, the text of each tale is
that of the original publication. (The text of "The Dumb Witness" was
established from two typescripts held at the archives of Fisk
University.) The stories are accompanied by a thorough and
thought-provoking introduction, detailed explanatory annotations, and
illustrative materials.
"Contexts" presents a wealth of materials chosen by the editors to
enrich the reader's understanding of these canonical stories, including
a map of the landscape of the conjure tales, Chesnutt's journal entry as
he began writing fiction of the South, as well as writings by Chesnutt,
William Wells Brown, and Paul Laurence Dunbar, among others, on the
stories' central motifs--folklore, superstition, voodoo, race, and
social identity in the South following the Civil War.
"Criticism" is divided into two parts. "Early Criticism" collects
critical notices for The Conjure Woman that suggest the volume's
initial reception, assessments by William Dean Howells and Benjamin
Brawley, and a biographical excerpt by the author's daughter, Helen
Chesnutt. "Modern Criticism" demonstrates rich and enduring interest in
The Conjure Stories with ten important essays by Robert Hemenway,
William L. Andrews, Robert B. Stepto, John Edgar Wideman, Werner
Sollors, Houston A. Baker, Eric J. Sundquist, Richard H. Brodhead,
Candace J. Waid, and Glenda Carpio.
A Chronology of Chesnutt's life and work and a Selected Bibliography are
also included.
