1. Postcolonial Criticism
“As I sit here enjoying myself to a degree, I never give up thinking about the way I came into the world, how my ancestors came from Africa to the West Indies as slaves. I just could never forget it. Or forgive it. It’s like a big wave that’s still pulsing.”
-Jamaica Kincaid, , New York Times
Postcolonial Criticism
Analysis by Paris Cornett

2. What is Postcolonial Criticism?
“…refers to a field of intellectual inquiry that explores and interrogates the situation of colonized peoples both during and after colonization. Post-colonial literature and theory are often, but not always, anti-imperialist in character.” (Bedford, 394).
Undermines the supposed “universality” that great literature of the canon boasted by liberal humanists.
Frantz Fanon
Edward Said
Covers a wide range of issues, and is interdisciplinary

3. Jamaica Kincaid (1949-present)
Born Elaine Potter Richardson in St. John’s, Antigua
Born to a poverty-stricken family, and was sent to New York at 17 to be a nanny
Was a staff writer for The New Yorker
Often criticized for being too angry
Writing deals with colonialism, gender, race, loss, angst and mother/daughter relationships

4. Colonial/Postcolonial
History of Antigua
Pre-colonial
Colonial/Postcolonial
2400 B.C. the Siboney inhabit Antigua
35 A.D. Arawaks settle the land
1100 A.D. Caribs push out the Arawaks
1493 Christopher Columbus spots the island
Caribs fiercely resist English settlement
1632 Englishmen successfully established a settlement
1684 Christopher Codrington arrived to set up sugar plantations
1834 slavery is abolished
1981 Antigua achieves independence

5. “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid
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6. Antiguan v. British Culture
“is it true that you sing benna in Sunday school?
“don’t sing benna in Sunday school;”
“but I don’t sing benna on Sundays at all, and never in Sunday school.”
Benna
“cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil;”
“when you are growing dasheen…”
“this is how to make doukona; this is how to make pepper pot;”
Food

7. Antiguan v. British Culture
“this is how to sweep a yard;”
“be sure to wash every day, even if it is with your own spit;”
“this is how to make ends meet;”
Socioeconomic Status
“on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not the slut you are so bent on becoming;”
“this is how you smile to someone you don’t like very much;”
“don’t squat down to play marbles—you are not a boy, you know;”
Appearances

8. Conclusion
“Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid is a piece of postcolonial literature that challenges the European cultural hegemony by giving a glimpse into the life of a young, colonized girl who is simultaneously being taught the lessons of her African- Caribbean culture, as well as how to behave so that she may blend in with the dominating English culture. It represents the formation of a hybrid identity that’s symptomatic of colonialism.

9. Works Cited
“Antigua’s History and Culture.” Antigua-Barbuda. interKnowledge Corp, n.d. Web. 19 March Barry, Peter. “Postcolonial Criticism.” Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. Ed. Peter Barry and Helen Carr. Manchester: Manchester University Press, Print. Benson, Kristen M., Cayce Hagseth. “Voices from the Gaps: Jamaica Kincaid.” Driven to Discover. University of Minnesota, 23 May Web. 19 March Chicago Humanities Festival. “Jamaica Kincaid reads ‘Girl’.” Online Video Clip. YouTube. Youtube, 25 February Web. 23 March Kincaid, Jamaica. “Girl.” The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 26 June Web. 18 March “Postcolonial literature, postcolonial theory.” The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. 3rd ed Print.