Study Guide to The Color Purple and Other Works by Alice Walker

Book excerpt: A comprehensive study guide offering in-depth explanation, essay, and test prep for selected works by Alice Walker, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award in 1983. Titles in this study guide include The Color Purple, You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down, The Third Life of Grange, Revolutionary Petunias, Once, Meridian, and In Love & Trouble: Stories of Black Women, Good Night Willie Lee, and I'll See You in the Morning. As a world renowned author of African American literature, Walker established her reputation in poetry, short stories, essays, novels, and even children's stories. Moreover, she coined the term “womanist” to describe feminist women of color, first exemplified in The Color Purple. This Bright Notes Study Guide explores the context and history of Walker’s classic work, helping students to thoroughly explore the reasons they have stood the literary test of time. Each Bright Notes Study Guide contains: - Introductions to the Author and the Work - Character Summaries - Plot Guides - Section and Chapter Overviews - Test Essay and Study Q&As The Bright Notes Study Guide series offers an in-depth tour of more than 275 classic works of literature, exploring characters, critical commentary, historical background, plots, and themes. This set of study guides encourages readers to dig deeper in their understanding by including essay questions and answers as well as topics for further research.