This paper explores Marlon James' 2009 novel The Book of Night Women to reflect upon the representation of enslaved women engaging in acts of resistance during the period they were slaves in Jamaica (18th century). Foregrounding a multidisciplinary theoretical and methodological framework, which includes postcolonial theory, Black feminist thought and Caribbean literary criticism, that engages James' narrative strategies as well as characterization and themes of violence, sexuality and spirituality. This study uses a qualitative methodology that includes textual analysis, comparative literature sensibilities and historical contextualization to investigate the ways James creates female characters as agents who are in conflict with oppressive structures. This research exposes the innovative use of Jamaican patois as a site of linguistic resistance in the novel, examines its complex representation of female agency within the slave economy, and places it within the neo-slave narrative genre. In developing an understanding of the ways women are represented in James, the work also contributes to debates about the capacity of literature to change historical narratives and vested interests. Though offering a complex view of historical enslavement, these insights significantly advance our understanding of how The Book of Night Women navigates language, violence, sexuality and gender.
Nawreen et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: