Presents literary criticism of the book "The Conjure Woman," a collection of short stories by Charles Chesnutt, in which the author examines the figure of Uncle Julius as a depiction of a revered African American folk hero and trickster. The author comments on the role of collective memory and ancestors in African cosmology, the black folk life of pre- and post-Civil War, and the short story "The Goophered Grapevine" in the book.