Drawing on his Louisiana past, Ernest J. Gaines creates a fictional world representative of the human experience. His work explores both the complex racial relationships so much a part of Southern history and culture, and the unwritten and unspoken conventions of caste and class. Often structured around journeys of discovery, Gaines' works affirm the integrity of the individual and the unequivocal place in American life for Americans of African descent.

This study offers a clear, accessible reading of Gaines' fiction. It analyzes in turn all of Gaines' novels from Catherine Carmier (1964) to A Lesson Before Dying (1994), as well as his collection of short stories, Bloodline (1968). A complete bibliography of Gaines' fiction, as well as selected reviews and criticism, completes the study.