ENGL 309 - Caribbean Literature

Credits: 3
This course looks at the diverse literature of the Caribbean. Through its literature, students will study and analyze the Caribbean. How did European colonialism affect the region then and now? What does a Post-Colonial world look like through the literature of its people? Often viewed as a pleasure dome, the Caribbean is also depicted as a wild and mysterious colonial enterprise. The literature that has come out of the Caribbean has become more and more diverse after the different islands have tried to create their own identities. Spain, England, France and later the United States colonized the islands and made an indelible footprint on its history and culture. Studying the unique manner of colonization by the aforementioned countries will provide students with a composite representation of the multi-status islands today. We will look at the various islands and examine how their history is tied to their literature and cultural identity. What particular authors/poets have been and are inspirational and influential to the formation of the Caribbean and its fight for independence? As we study, analyze and write on the works of these writers, we will consider the effect of literature in combination with cultural, historical and political aspects of the Caribbean. Some authors the course may examine are Jamaica Kincaid, Edwidge Danticat, Derek Walcott, and Caryl Phillips.

Prerequisite(s): ENGL 103.
Offered: S (alternating years).

Academic Catalog

ENGL 309 - Caribbean Literature