Overview

The book studies the relationship between 'Individual and Family' on the broader sense which is explored in the 19 Caribbean novels are divided into four decades(1950's to 1980's) which contributes valuably to the comprehension of the Caribbean phenomenon of 'identity'. In the Caribbean context (West Indian context), the struggle for 'identity' is in essence, a struggle for meaningful relatedness or the sameness with others as human beings, within a society compelled by history into racial and cultural hybridization on the one hand, and the social, economic and political stratification, on the other. The book focuses on psychological and sociological Caribbean context which is different from usual context of understanding. It studies 19 Caribbean novels of 12 writers - George Lamming, V S Naipaul, Samuel Selvon, Edgar Mittelholtzer, Roger Mais, Wilson Harris, Jean Rhys, Michael Anthony, Merle Hodge, John Hearne, Jamaicia Kincaid, and Merle Collins. The novels of these writers explore the uniqueness of the Caribbean society which is 'the microcosm' of the world.