71 pages • 2 hours read
Zadie SmithA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses enslavement.
In this novel, the only authentic depiction of Jamaica is told through Andrew Bogle’s point-of-view, as he was born and raised there. However, Jamaica has a symbolic hold over all the characters in the novel. English people who live far away from Jamaica romanticize the island for its natural beauty, ignoring its dangerous weather and the plantations built upon the enslaved labor of unhappy Black people. Jamaica has both a magical and sinister representation in the English mind. In this way, the average English person’s perspective of Jamaica is a subconscious byproduct of the guilt of colonialism. In an effort to make a distant colony in their own image, the English have actually achieved the opposite: creating Jamaica as the setting of the Other.
Writing is an important motif in this novel because it reflects the thematic preoccupation with The Complexities of Authenticity and Narrative. Writing can be overwrought and disingenuous—as it is in William’s works—but it can also illuminate the human experience. Charles Dickens achieves fame and respect because his English readers see their real lives reflected back at them, creating a meaningful and deep connection.
By Zadie Smith
Feel Free
Feel Free
Zadie Smith
NW
NW
Pascal Mercier, Barbara Harshav, Zadie Smith
On Beauty
On Beauty
Zadie Smith, William Kent Krueger
Swing Time
Swing Time
Zadie Smith
The Embassy of Cambodia
The Embassy of Cambodia
Zadie Smith
The Waiter’s Wife
The Waiter’s Wife
Zadie Smith
White Teeth
White Teeth
Zadie Smith
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