Islands in the Western Imaginary: Paradise, Periphery, Prison

Catalog description

Paradise, periphery, or prison? The representation of the island has been described as imaginary and not actual, mythological and not geographical. Examines the fascination with islands in the western cultural imaginary. Selective readings from literature, film and historical texts focus on ways in which island spaces have been represented in diverse social, national, imperial contexts as well as the effect of such projections on the native islanders, their visitors and often subjugators. Authors may include Homer, Plato, Marco Polo, Mandeville, Darwin, Defoe, Tournier, Kincaid, Kafka, Durrell, Seferis; theoretical works drawn from critical geography, postcolonialism, and the field of island studies.