Studies in American Indian Literature ed. by Paula Gunn Allen, and Three American Literatures ed. by Houston R. Baker, Jr (review)

170 Western American Literature Jonathan Edwards. Simonson professes himself, in quaint fundamentalistic formulae, to be a born-again believer in this tradition, and practices the study of literature according to its canons. The result is nothing less than a constant polemic against a literary tradition which is uncongenial to his beliefs. Such a result is impressive — nothing less than a thorough jettisoning of the liber­ ating ideas of the last two hundred years. WILLIAM H. SHURR The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Studies in American Indian Literature. Edited by Paula Gunn Allen. (New York: Modem Language Association, 1983. 384 pages, $13.50.) Three American Literatures. Edited by Houston R. Baker, Jr. (New York: Modern Language Association, 1982. 265 pages, $9.50.) Paula Gunn Allen’s Studies in American Indian Literature and Houston A. Baker’s Three American Literatures are both results of the Modern Language Association’s interest in minority/ethnic literature and language. Studies in American Indian Literature deals exclusively with Indian litera­ ture, while Three American Literatures discusses Mexican-American, Native American, and Asian-American literatures. Studies in American Indian Literature is a collection of essays on Indian oral literature, autobiography, and Indian women’s literature. There is a section on modern and contemporary Indian literature, a section on the Indian in American literature, and a section on available resources in the field such as anthologies, texts, and scholarly articles. Each of the major sections in the book is followed by suggested course outlines and suggested reading lists. It is a text that is designed for the teacher who wishes to teach a course in this area rather than for the student. As a secondary source book, Studies in American Indian Literature has much to recommend it. Many of the articles such as Patricia Clark Smith’s “Coyote Ortiz,” LaVonne Ruoff’s “American Indian Literatures,” and James Ruppert’s “Discovering America” are first rate. While the level of the other articles tends to vary, the majority are competent. The most obvious problem is that several of the articles are out of date and should have been revised prior to publication. Paula Gunn Allen’s “The Sacred Hoop,” which discusses oral literature, is one such example. Originally written in 1975, the article has received no additional attention even though the discussion of Indian oral literature has produced new ideas and directions. A second problem lies in the suggested reading lists. For whatever reason, the lists are highly selective. Normally this would not be a particular concern, but the additions and the omissions tend to suggest that the lists were devel­ oped along the lines of personal taste rather than as a result of a scholarly stance. Reviews 171 Nonetheless, Studies in American Indian Literature is a book that should be recommended and read. At the same time, the Modern Language Associa­ tion should seriously consider publishing a second edition, updating several of the articles that need revision, adding a number of newer articles, and correct­ ing the deficiencies in the reading lists. Three American Literatures is not as ambitious an undertaking. Where Allen’s book would probably function best as a teacher’s text, Baker’s is designed more for students. Three American Literatures is a superficial intro­ duction to the literature produced by Mexican-Americans, Native Americans, and Asian-Americans. While Raymond A. Paredes’ “The Evolution of Chicano Literature” is competent, the rest of the articles tend to be very uneven. Kenneth Lincoln’s “Native American Literatures,” while it contains some interesting ideas and surveys a broad range of literature, is a victim of the author’s romantic notions about Indians and Indian literature. The essay also tends to wander, much like a child out gathering flowers with little regard for direction or pace. “An Introduction to Chinese-American and JapaneseAmerican Literatures,” the lead article in the section on Asian-American literature, is not so much an examination of the literature as it is an ad hominem attack on certain writers such as Virginia Lee, Parde Lowe, Jade Snow Wong, and Betty Lee Sung. The authors of the article, themselves writers, spend a good part of the essay discussing their own work and patting themselves on the back for...