LIT 3192- Fall 2026 - Ward

For many, the “Caribbean“ conjures images of turquoise waters and swaying palm trees, seen from the deck of a cruise ship or the balcony of an all-inclusive resort hotel room. In this class, we will broaden our understanding of the Caribbean by examining literary fiction by writers from the island and coastal nations that make up the circum-Caribbean. Works studied will be in English, whether originally published in English or translated from one of the many languages that contributes to the Caribbean’s linguistic richness. Novels include works by Jean Rhys, Erna Brodber, Edgar Mittelholzer, Julia Alvarez, Edwidge Danticat, and Ingrid Persaud. To more fully appreciate these texts, we will use concepts from Caribbean and Diaspora studies to examine questions such as: How has Caribbean literary culture been shaped by intersections between the “New World” of the Americas and the “Old Worlds” of Europe, Africa, and India? What makes a text or author “Caribbean”? What do these texts teach us about the relationship between history, geography, and cultural identity? About tensions between the local and the global, including questions about Caribbean identities outside the Caribbean region?