This volume brings together some of the very best criticism available on Lee's timeless classic. Overview essays consider the cultural contexts surrounding the novel and the critical reception of Lee's work. Other essays offer a close examination of the novel as wisdom literature and consider the lessons being taught in the novel. Also included in this collection are character studies of Atticus Finch; a consideration of narrative strategies in both the novel and the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird; and studies of sexuality, race, and ethics as found in the novel.