Soon come : Jamaican spirituality, Jamaican poetics / Hugh Hodges.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hodges, Hugh, 1966-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jamaican poetry--History and criticism.

Jamaican poetry.

Spirituality in literature.

Jamaica--In literature.

Jamaica.

Physical Description:

xiii, 241 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Charlottesville : University of Virginia Press, 2008.

Summary:

Soon Come celebrates Jamaican poetry as an expression and extension of the island's rich spiritual traditions, offering fresh insights into some of the late twentieth century's most important and influential poetry. Drawing inspiration from the history of Myal, Kumina, Revivalism, and Rastafari, Hugh Hodges develops a critical language for the discussion of a wide range of Jamaican texts, both oral and written.

Beginning with traditional proverbs and Anancy stories, Soon Come explores healing rituals, possession rites, and miracles in Revival hymns; the seminal poetry of Claude McKay, Una Marson, and Louise Bennett; the Rastafari-influenced reggae of Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Bunny Wailer, and Ras Michael; the dub poetry of Linton Kwesi Johnson and Mutabaruka; and the groundbreaking work of Dennis Scott, Anthony McNeill, and Lorna Goodison. What emerges is a profoundly hopeful vision of Jamaican poetry as an ongoing ritual that engenders the future even as it reimagines the past.

Contents:

1 By the Rivers of Babylon: Historical Background 17

2 Groundings: Africa in the Jamaican Worldview 40

3 Speak of the Advent of New Light: Jamaican Proverbs and Anancy Stories 61

4 Marching to Canaan: The Literature of Revivalism 81

5 Possession Rites: The Search for a Jamaican Voice 100

6 Far Eye: Rastafarianism and the Kingdom of the Poor 128

7 Walk Good: Bob Marley and the Oratorical Tradition 153

8 Start-Over: Possession Rites and Healing Rituals in the Poetry of Lorna Goodison 173

Conclusion: Fly Away Home 193.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [223]-230) and index.

Includes discography: page [231].

ISBN:

9780813926827

0813926823

9780813926834

0813926831

9780813927305

0813927307

OCLC:

181335767