The Trickster Figure in American Literature provides a new framework to look at the richness that is American literature and culture. Trickster stories allow readers to experience vicariously another culture's deepest discontent. They supply a laugh but more importantly, their stories reflect contemporary dilemmas being played out in fiction. Using the trickster figure as an entry-point into African American, American Indian, Euro-American, Asian American, and Latino/a stories, Winifred Morgan examines the oral roots of each racial/ethnic group to reveal how each group's history, frustrations, and aspirations have molded the tradition. Ultimately, this compelling study shows that in a country such as the United States of America, tricksters remind listeners and readers that the ideals espoused by the law and traditions have not been achieved.

This book analyzes and offers fresh insights into the trickster tradition including African American, American Indian, Euro-American, Asian American, and Latino/a stories, Morgan examines the oral roots of each racial/ethnic group to reveal how each group's history, frustrations, and aspirations have molded the tradition in contemporary literature.