Defining Jamaican fiction
Book Description
This scholarly exploration unveils the profound spiritual and cultural foundations that shape Jamaican literary identity through the lens of marronage, the courageous flight of enslaved people who established independent communities in untamed territories. Beginning in the early 1500s in Hispaniola, this transformative journey toward freedom continues to resonate through Jamaica's storytelling traditions, both oral and written.
Barbara Lalla examines how the archetypal maroon figure, representing the ultimate quest for liberation and self-determination, manifests across Jamaica's literary landscape in various forms. These include displaced wanderers seeking belonging, outcasts navigating isolation, and rebels confronting both external and internal wildernesses. Through careful analysis, the author reveals how these character archetypes embody universal themes of resistance, survival, and the human drive toward authentic existence.
The book positions Jamaican fiction within the broader Caribbean literary context while identifying the distinctive narrative strategies writers employ to convey these enduring themes. For readers interested in understanding how literature reflects the spiritual journey from bondage to freedom, this work offers insights into how stories of displacement and rebellion speak to fundamental questions of identity, belonging, and transformation.
Through examining characters who exist on society's margins, this analysis illuminates how literature captures the ongoing human struggle to define oneself against overwhelming odds and hostile environments.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~6 hours)
📄 Length: 224 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore History and criticism
- ✓ Explore In literature
- ✓ Explore Slavery in literature
- ✓ Explore Maroonsin literature
- ✓ Explore Fugitive slaves in literature
- ✓ Explore Blacks in literature
- ✓ Explore Jamaican fiction
- ✓ Explore Maroons in literature
