Research Catalog

Sufism as Lorna Goodison's alternative poetic path to hope and healing

Title
Sufism as Lorna Goodison's alternative poetic path to hope and healing / by Brenda Domínguez-Rosado.
Author
Domínguez-Rosado, Brenda
Publication
  • Newcastle upon Tyne, UK : Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019.
  • ©2019

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextUse in library JFD 19-1998Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315

Details

Description
xx, 96 pages; 22 cm
Summary
"Jamaican Poet Laureate Lorna Goodison searches for answers for herself and other Caribbean-based descendants of enslaved Africans by examining and presenting different spiritualities in her poetry in the hope of providing alternatives to the psyche in need of healing after the traumatic events of the infamous transatlantic Middle Passage. The inclusion of Sufism in her poetry seems to have a dual purpose, in that it offers a "new" creative angle and a sincere belief in its power to provide relief from personal anguish. The fact that Sufism is similar to Jamaican-based religions works in its favor. Can Jamaicans, who are Goodison's primary subject, really relate to its message? She does not underestimate her audience's capacity for change or their willingness to accept the ideas of Sufism. Her role as facilitator is not a secret; she is openly promoting her ideas and her belief that healing is possible. This book is divided into three chapters. In Chapter One, a brief history of slavery in the Caribbean region with a focus on Jamaica is presented. The second chapter explicitly focuses on Lorna Goodison and her use of the written word to reveal her feelings about her ancestors' (and her own) traumatic past. It also defines Sufism, includes some examples of Sufi poems, and shows what aspects of Sufism resonate with Jamaican Revivalism and Rastafarianism. The final chapter first makes reference to how Sufi elements have been used by other writers such as Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Walt Whitman, Thomas Merton, and Doris Lessing, and then illustrates how, contrary to these others, Goodison is the only one to apply Sufi ideals to a Caribbean context, thus falling into her own creative category, that of a new Caribbean literary canon."--
Subjects
Genre/Form
Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 85-91) and index.
Call Number
JFD 19-1998
ISBN
  • 1527518116
  • 9781527518117
OCLC
1059801277
Author
Domínguez-Rosado, Brenda, author.
Title
Sufism as Lorna Goodison's alternative poetic path to hope and healing / by Brenda Domínguez-Rosado.
Publisher
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK : Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019.
Copyright Date
©2019
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 85-91) and index.
Research Call Number
JFD 19-1998
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