1. Alejo Carpentier, The Kingdom of This World (1949)
Class 2

2. The Kingdom of This World (1949)
highlighting role of Haitian Vodun religious practices in making of Haitian Revolution
a) written sources
b) oral tradition (= anthropological: oral histories of Macandal, Boukman, and Haitian King Henri Christophe)
Historical novel with a difference:
describes socio-history that includes naturalistic as well as fantastic events and outlooks (miracle of Macandal’s escape)
= concept of “marvelous American real” (Carpentier)
hybrid cultures: persistence of non-modern cultures and outlooks within modern era
“After all, what is the entire history of America if not a chronicle of the marvelous real?” (Carpentier, “On the Marvelous Real in America”)

3. Magical Realism (1) (a narrative technique)
CO-EXISTENCE OF 2 INCOMPATIBLE LOGICS OF THE REAL
modern skeptical-rational outlook vs non-modern, mythical outlook (e.g. Vodun)
marvelous IS real, part of everyday life
= NOT idolatry, NOT superstition
=> concept of “marvelous American real” (2) (Carpentier)
(ontological concept: “what exists”)
European vs black viewpoints
(Ti-Noel; Boukman; but also Henri Christophe)
Notice the difference !
Inherent contradiction: If the marvelous ‘requires faith’ (Carpentier), then from the viewpoint of the believer it is no longer marvelous.

4. ORGANIZATION OF Kingdom of This World
4 parts (relatively autonomous):
I—1750s: the terrorist Vodou campaign of the mandinga Mackandal against the French colonists
II—the Haitian & French Revolutions (the 1791 rebellion of the black slaves led by Boukman; the exile of the plantocracy in Santiago de Cuba; Paulina Bonaparte in Haiti; the failed French attempt to shore up the colonial regime on the island in 1802)
Boukman (initial leader of Haitian Revolution; Vodun priest; Vodun ceremony in Bois Caiman & Boukman speech: “Destroy the image of the white man’s God & listen to cry of freedom within yourselves” (“The Solemn Pact”); insurrection breaks out a week later (“Call of the Conch Shells”); dies early, head displayed on spike
General Leclerc (commanding officer of Napoleon’s forces sent 1801 to restore French rule & slavery; dies of yellow fever) (“The Ship of Dogs” “Saint Calamity”)
Pauline Bonaparte (Napoleon Bonaparte’s sister ∞ Leclerc; then Rome ∞ Borghese heir; † 1825; Pauline’s statue in Borghese Palace) (“The Ship of Dogs” “Saint Calamity”) = parody of European elite culture

5. III—1820: the downfall of the ruthless black King Henri Christophe, the prototype of the modern European-identified dictator
Henri Christophe (generals HC & Dessalines oust French army ; Haitian ruler & self-proclaimed King of northern provinces ; created hereditary nobility; construction of palaces (Sans Souci) & citadel La Ferrière at cost of many lives; suicide after outbreak of revolt (“Ultima Ratio Regum”)
IV—2nd half of 1820s: Henri Christophe’s family, exiled in Rome; Paulina Bonaparte’s statue; the rise of the mulattoes in Haiti, the new rulers & oppressors of the blacks; Ti Noel’s illumination & metamorphosis through Vodun
Caricature of European elite culture (Pauline Bonaparte)
Ti-Noel’s epiphany & transformation
Historical novel?
fictional protagonist Ti-Noel (enslaved) ordinary person, representative of the people
vs historical figures & events at the margins of narrated events
Events elided (not narrated) Haiti 1802 – 1820: Toussaint’s capture  early years of independent Haitian Republic
Through what narrative device?
What larger rationale?

7. 1) Reconsidering the question of the marvelous in light of the novel’s ending:
In invoking the supernatural powers of African deities to aid the enslaved in fight for their freedom, Macandal (as well as Boukman) clearly viewed Vodun beliefs and practices as liberatory: Boukman says, “listen to the cry of freedom within yourselves.” African spirituality gives the enslaved the strength to fight for their political demands for freedom and equality with whites. Let’s consider the subsequent course of events after Macandal’s escape narrated in Part I.
From the vantage point of subsequent events, has this belief proven to be true? Is the marvelous a force of liberation?
UTOPIAN VISION (“cry of freedom”) vs. HISTORY (what actually happens): Do the oppressed succeed in throwing off the yoke of their oppression? Does the Haitian Revolution succeed or fail in fulfilling its promise?
GROUP I: Boukman
GROUP II: Henri Christophe
GROUP III: The old Ti-Noel
2) Generally, the supernatural is identified with the “otherworldly.” It is opposed to the “earthly” or “wordly” realm. In light of the revolutionary role of Voodoo in Carpentier’s novel, what is the point of the title concept of the “Kingdom of This World”? A seeming contradiction?