The Canon Library
Cover of Beloved

Contemporary · Novel

Beloved

by Toni Morrison. A formerly enslaved woman’s home is haunted by the past, making historical trauma intimate, supernatural, and inescapable.

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Date
1987
Origin
United States
Era
Contemporary
Genre
Novel
Difficulty
Challenging
Length
Long
Collection
The Western Canon

Subjects and themes

SlaveryMemoryMotherhood

Why it matters

A formerly enslaved woman’s home is haunted by the past, making historical trauma intimate, supernatural, and inescapable.

This work is included in the collection on the basis of modern expanded canon. Its cataloged influence level is 5 out of 5.

Related works

Reading lists featuring Beloved

Reading path

Expanded Canon

A starting shelf for voices and traditions that enlarge the inherited survey. 8 books · Intermediate.