Literary Formations

"Postcolonialism", variously defined, is of considerable contemporary interest, first as a label for a stage of political development and increasingly as a matter of national identity, a "cultural condition". The literatures which have merged as products of this condition have become the objects of study in literature courses in English departments where cultural studies is being taught. In keeping with the aim of the "Interpretations" series, this work introduces the undergraduate student to three themes in the study of postcolonial literature. The first explores the notion of nation and nationality reflected in the literatures of newly industrializing countries. The second shows how these literatures can be analyzed in terms of the impact of modernity (postmodernity?) on cultures under stress. The third theme takes up the question of the representation of women in these literatures as one means of investigating the emergence of new literary practice. The exploration of each theme introduces the reader to an array of contemporary approaches used in a growing body of critical writing.