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Issues concerning the possible racial and literary connection between the choice of Ku Klux Klan as the name of a white supremacy group and the Coleridge poem 'Kubla Khan' are discussed.

Afro-American writer William Melvin Kelley is discussed and his work 'A Different Drummer' interpreted for its important role in paving the way for future Black writers.

Edgar Allan Poe presents the heroines in 'Morella' and 'Ligeia' as representatives of feminism, while the heroes in these stories are antifeminist. The heroines are learned and self-determined, contrary to the traditional home-bound women. When the protagonists in the stories find that their women are different from ordinary females, they become diffident and plot the women's murders. The stories, written when the feminist movement was on the rise, are a reflection of the author's reservations about the intellectual advances of 19th century women.

Paule Marshall's novels are an assertion of the author's conviction that bartering one's identity for a comfortable life in the Western society is unwise and unsatisfactory. The novels, such as 'Brown Girl, Brownstones,' which are written from a black point of view, express reservations against the materialistic culture of the west. Marshall warns blacks as well as the people of third world countries that the machines of the technological revolution of the Western world are monsters, which may destroy them. Subjugating themselves to the deities of technology will lead to servitude and a mechanized existence.

Zora Neale Hurston's 'Their Eyes were Watching God' is a naturalistic story although most of the novel resists the basic forms of naturalism. It is the story of a woman controlled by forces of nature beyond her control and a husband increasingly becoming bestial. It is also a warning to the black community against believing white middle class values. The novel cautions that equality is an immediate need which love alone cannot make up for when it is lacking. Moreover, inequality can lead to spiritual as well as physical death.

'The Color Purple' by Alice Walker is the story of one woman's struggle against racism, sexism and social determinism and her ultimate triumph as a whole being. The novel rejects racial emotionalism and focuses instead on the main character's existential struggle for recognition. Racial factors are irrelevant to understanding the existential fight in the novel since Walker does not rely on racism to fully explain the opression of black women by black men. The characters' quest in 'The Color Purple' is for authenticity, thus, Celie and Shug's lesbianism is an expression of self based on the acceptance of their physical and moral environment.

Edith Wharton's 'Mrs. Manstey's View' and 'Duration' demonstrate her theme of imprisonment and the techniques she uses to portray her captive characters. In both stories Wharton presents her imprisonment theme through tantalizing beginnings, surprise endings, extended flashbacks, penetrating monologues, vibrant dialogues, dramatic irony, biting satire and symbolic settings as well as the enclosed space. 'Mrs. Manstey's View' has Mrs. Manstey as a semi-invalid confined in her New York City boardinghouse while 'Duration' also portrays the protagonist, Martha Little, as a prisoner in her enclosed space.

James Dickey in his novel 'Deliverance' proposes the evolution of a new romantic American hero. The novel presents the quintessential American Adam in the character of Lewis who fits the mold of an individual emancipated from history, without ancestry, undefiled by family and race and an individual alone, self-reliant and self-motivated. However, in the character of Ed Gentry Dickey portrays the American Cain who discovers that the most valuable thing in life are the ties of family. Unlike the American Adam, Ed leads others back to safety and the world of technology rather than to danger and escape from reality.

Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's first published novel 'Weep Not, Child' presents the broken dreams of children caught in the struggles of Kenyan society. The novel focusses on the anticolonial struggle in preindependent Kenya and the problems that followed it. It also presents the liberation of the people and land as dependent on the people working together en masse. However, the temptation to take the easy means to self-fulfillment can be overwhelming, thus, the ultimate need is not so much hope as the need to cherish hope.

Issues concerning the works and racial discrimination suffered by African American author Chester Himes who moved to the California region during the Second World War for both work and literary purposes.

The life and works of female African-American author Paule Marshall is discussed, with her book 'The Chosen Place, The Timeless People' investigated for its impact on black female writers in the early 1960s.

The political and social impact of African-American writer Dudley Randall is discussed, with reference to his role in promoting black nationalism within America.

The works and life of Afro-American author Jean Toomer is discussed with his 1923 work 'Cane' investigated for its impact on black America.

The life and works of African-American author Arthur Flowers is discussed, with his work 'Another Good Loving Blues' investigated for its impact on black literature.