Louise Erdrich (b. 1954)

A selective list of online literary criticism for the mixed-blood, Native-American novelist, short-story writer, children's book writer, and poet Louise Erdrich, favoring signed articles by recognized scholars and articles published in peer-reviewed sources


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introduction & biography

"Louise Erdrich." A substantial introduction to Louise Erdrich from educational publisher Gale/Cengage.

"Louise Erdrich."An introduction to Louise Erdrich, plus excerpts of reputable critical discussions of some of her work. Contents: About Louise Erdrich; About Erdrich's Poetry; About Indian Boarding Schools; Excerpts from Interviews; Online Interviews; On "Dear John Wayne"; About John Wayne--Background to "Dear John Wayne"; An Online Short Story by Erdrich. Modern American Poetry, at Univ. of Illinois, Cary Nelson, ed.

"Louise Erdrich." Encyclopedia-type introduction to Louise Erdrich's themes, style and techniques, with a biography and samples of her poems. Poetry Foundation.

Love Medicine (which includes the often-anthologized chapter/story "The Red Convertible") selected for "The Big Read," a program of the National Endowment for the Arts. Contents: Readers Guide contains Introduction, Historical Context, About the Author, Other Works/Adaptations, Discussion Questions, Bibliography; Teacher's Guide contains Schedule/Lesson Plans, Capstone Project Ideas, Essay Topics.

"Louise Erdrich, The Art of Fiction." Erdrich's Paris Review interview. The Paris Review 195 (Winter 2010).

"This Week in Fiction: Louise Erdrich." In an interview, Erdrich talks about where her story ideas come from. The New Yorker 30 April 2012.

"An Emissary of the Between-World." An interview with Louise Erdrich. The Atlantic 17 Jan. 2001 (scroll down for the interview).

"Birchbark Blog." Louise Erdrich's personal blog.

Forsyth, Susan. "Louise Erdrich." An introduction to Erdrich, from a database that provides signed literary criticism by experts in their field, and is available to individuals for a reasonably-priced subscription. Literary Encyclopedia, 8 Jan. 2001. Eds. Robert Clark, Emory Elliott, Janet Todd [subscription service].


literary criticism

Howard, H. Wendell. "Chippewa and Catholic Beliefs in the Work of Louise Erdrich." Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture 3, 1 (Winter 2000) pp 110-23 [first page only, muse].

Harper, Mary Catherine. "Figuring the Grotesque in Louise ErdrichÂ’s Novels: Of Ojibwe Play, Modernist Form, and the Romantic Sensibility." Studies in American Indian Literatures 24, 2 (Summer 2012) pp 17-38 [substantial extract, muse].

Brozzo, Shirley. "Food for Thought: A Postcolonial Study of Food Imagery in Louise Erdrich's Antelope Wife." Studies in American Indian Literatures 17, 1 (Spring 2005) pp 1-15 [substantial extract, muse].

Wyatt, Jean. "Storytelling, Melancholia, and Narrative Structure in Louise Erdrich's The Painted Drum." MELUS 36, 1 (Spring 2011) pp 13-36 [substantial extract, muse].

Czarnecki, Kristin. "Postcolonial Theory and the Undergraduate Classroom: Teaching 'The Red Convertible.'" Pedagogy 2, 1 (Winter 2002) pp 109-12 [substantial extract, muse].

DePriest, Maria. "Once Upon a Time, Today: Hearing Fleur's Voice in Tracks." Journal of Narrative Theory 38, 2 (Summer 2008) pp 249-68 [substantial extract, muse].


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