Understanding Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John - A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents

Since its publication in 1985, Annie John has become one of the most widely taught novels in American high schools. Part of its appeal lies in its unique setting, the island of Antigua. This interdisciplinary collection of 30 primary documents and commentary will enrich the reader's understanding of the historical, social, and cultural contexts of the novel. Among the topics examined are slavery in the Caribbean, the various religions in the Caribbean islands, the controversy over Christopher Columbus, family life in Antigua, and emigrations from the West Indies to the United States. Sources include newspaper and magazine articles, editorials, first-person narratives and memoirs of life in the Caribbean, letters, and position papers.

Most of the documents are not readily available in any other printed form. A literary analysis of Annie John examines the novel in light of its historical, social, and cultural contexts and as a coming-of-age novel. Each chapter concludes with study questions and topics for research papers and class discussion based on the documents in the chapter, and lists of further reading for examining the themes and issues raised by the novel. This casebook is valuable to students and teachers to help them understand the setting of the novel, its themes, and its young heroine.

List of contents

Introduction
Literary Analysis of Annie John: Coming of Age in Antigua
Historical Context: Slavery and Its Aftermath
Spirituality in Antigua: Obeah and Christianity
A Colonial Education: The Christopher Columbus Controversy
Social Context: Family Life in Antigua
Leaving Home: Emigration from the West Indies
Index

About the author

DEBORAH MISTRON is Professor of Spanish and Literature at Bradford College in Bradford, Massachusetts. She is the author of many papers on Latin American popular culture, with a special interest in the cinema. She teaches Latin American literature and area studies in Latin America.

Product details

• Authors: Deborah E. Mistron, Mistron Deborah
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: ages 7 to 17
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.01.1999
• EAN: 9780313302541
• ISBN: 978-0-313-30254-1
• Series: The Greenwood Press "Literature in Context" Series
• Subjects: Education and learning > Schoolbooks, general education schools; Cultural Studies, LITERARY CRITICISM / American / General, HISTORY / Caribbean & West Indies / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, LITERARY CRITICISM / Caribbean & Latin American, LITERARY CRITICISM / Modern / 20th Century, The arts, Caribbean islands, American English, Literary studies: from c 1900 -, History of the Americas, Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers, Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers, Literary studies: c 1900 to c 2000, LITERARY CRITICISM / Novel as Form