English 378: Topics in Caribbean Literature Jeffery Renard Allen Spring 2012 534 Klapper Hall 4:30-6:30 T 4:30-5:30, Th 718-997-4704 [email protected]

Books George Lamming, In The Castle of My Skin V.S. Naipaul, A House for Mr. Biswas Edward Lovelace, The Dragon Can’t Dance Caryl Phillips, The Final Passage Jamaica Kincaid, Mr. Potter Edwidge Danticat, The Farming of The Bones Juno Diaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Whoa Marlon James, The Book of Night Women Tiphani Yanique, How to Escape from the Leper Colony and Other Stories

Course Description

For this course, we take a selective look at several post-Word War II novels and a handful of short stories by a number of Caribbean authors that focus on questions of culture and language in a personal, national, and regional quest to define individual and communal identity in the Caribbean today. We will discover that this quest will require us to consider, at least in part, notions of history and race as these phenomenon inform the construction of a Caribbean self. Other topics include slavery, immigration, and postcolonialism. In our approach to these texts we will use the techniques of close reading and observe patterns in texts, focusing on such elements as plot, character, character, point of view, and structure, but we will also put these texts in an appropriate historical and cultural context. In essence we will examine how these texts narrate the stories of specific Caribbean individuals as a way of looking outward to the larger society and culture to show how narratives are shaped by and help to shape individuals, societies, and historical moments.

Course Goals *To provide a general overview of Caribbean literature since the 1950s with a special emphasis on fiction. *To uncover some of the central themes common to Caribbean fiction. *To gain a fundamental sense of some key theoretical ideas that a number of scholars and writers have developed in an effort to define Caribbean literature and the Caribbean identity.

This course can be used to fulfill the College Option Literature Requirement.

Assignments

The course will include three written assignments: a short paper, a midterm exam, and a final exam. In the first paper the student will write a careful explication of one text to seek the author’s intent and will thus practice the central skill of close reading. In the midterm the student write do a comparative essay and examine two texts in their appropriate and historical and cultural contexts. The final exam will also be comparative in this way, but will involve two short comparative essays. You have the option of revising the first two essay assignments for a higher grade. Any revisions are due to me via email along with the final exam on the last day of final’s week, Thursday, May 24th.

1 Assignment Grade Breakdown:

Participation: 10% Short Paper: 15% Midterm Exam/ Paper: 25% Final Exam/ Paper: 30% Informal writing assignments/ quizzes: 20%

Schedule

Week I (1/31 & 2/2): Introduction to the course Where is the Caribbean? What constitutes a Caribbean author? Caryl Philips, “Claude McKay” (hand out)

Week II (2/7 & 2/9): George Lamming, In the Castle of My Skin

Week III (2/14 & 2/16): In the Castle of My Skin (continued) Essay #1 Assigned (2/16)

Week IV (2/23): V.S. Naipaul, A House for Mr. Biswas No class on Tuesday, February 21st, Monday Schedule

Week V (2/28 & 3/1): A House for Mr. Biswas (continued)

Week VI (3/6 & 3/8): A House for Mr. Biswas (continued)

Week VII (3/13 & 3/15): Earl Lovelace, The Dragon Can’t Dance

Week IX (3/20 & 3/22): Caryl Phillips, The Final Passage Midterm Assigned (3/22)

Week X (3/27 & 3/29): The Final Passage (continued)

Week XI (4/3 & 4/5): Jamaica Kincaid, Mr. Potter

Week XII (4/10 & 4/12): No Class, Spring Break

Week XIII (4/17 & 4/19): Edwidge Danticat, The Farming of the Bones Midterm Due

Week XIV (4/24 & 4/26): Junot Diaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Whoa

Week XV (5/1 & 5/3): Marlon James, The Book of Night Women

2 Week XVI (5/8 & 5/10): The Book of Night Women (continued) Tiphanie Yanique, How to Escape from a Leaper’s Colony and Other Stories Final Exam Handed Out (5/10)

Week XVII (5/15): How to Escape from a Leper Colony continued Final Exam Due on Thursday, May 24th via email to me

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