How can African American literature be analyzed through the lens of its own unique vernacular and cultural traditions rather than through Western critical frameworks? Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a prominent scholar of African American literature, utilizes his extensive background in comparative literature and cultural history to propose a new critical methodology. He argues that black literature possesses an internal system of meaning-making, which he identifies as 'Signifying,' rooted in African, Caribbean, and African American mythic and linguistic traditions.

Scholars and critics widely recognize this work as a foundational text that shifted the paradigm of African American literary studies. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which requires a strong background in literary theory to fully appreciate the author's complex arguments.