Walcott and Brathwaite: Caribbean modernity and "the detritus of the past"

Abstract

The Caribbean quest to conceptualize the modernity inherent in their condition is illustrated in living color by Derek Walcott and Edward K. Brathwaite in their critically acclaimed poetry. In doing so not only do they respond to and defy conventional established tropes and categories but they also evolve new modes of representation uniquely suited to depict the disconnection, dispossession and fragmentation embodied by the Caribbean consciousness. This dissertation attempts to investigate the tenuous modernity depicted in the verses of these poets, and how these depiction transcend not just borders but entire notions of history, identity and selfhood.