Haiti and the United States : national stereotypes and the literary imagination / J. Michael Dash.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dash, J. Michael.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Haitian literature--History and criticism.

Haitian literature.

Haitian literature--American influences.

American literature--History and criticism.

American literature.

Relations.

Haiti--In literature.

Haiti.

United States--In literature.

United States.

Haiti--Relations--United States.

United States--Relations--Haiti.

National characteristics in literature.

Stereotypes (Social psychology) in literature.

Physical Description:

xvii, 182 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire : Macmillan Press ; New York : St. Martin's Press, 1997.

Summary:

Imaginative literature, argues the author, does not merely reflect, but actively influences historical events. This is demonstrated by a close examination of the relations between Haiti and the US through both countries' imaginative literature. J. Michael Dash traces this process from the nineteenth century until it emerges with a voyeuristic fierceness in the 1960s. The United States "invented" Haiti as a land of savagery and mystery, while, in an effort to resist those stereotypes, Haitian literature becomes a subversive maneuver permitting Haitian's to "rewrite" themselves. Weaving together text and historical context, Dash demonstrates the durability of these images which continue to shape official policy and popular attitudes.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 169-178) and index.

ISBN:

0312164904

OCLC:

35450513