Caliban's Voice: The Transformation of English in Post-Colonial Literatures

by Bill Ashcroft

In Shakespeare’s Tempest, Caliban says to Miranda and "...you taught me language, and my profit on’t Is, I know how to curse. " With this statement, he gives voice to an issue that lies at the centre of post-colonial studies. Can Caliban own Prospero’s language? Can he use it to do more than curse? Caliban’s Voice examines the ways in which post-colonial literatures have transformed English to redefine what we understand to be ‘English Literature’. It investigates the importance of language learning in the imperial mission, the function of language in ideas of race and place, the link between language and identity, the move from orature to literature and the significance of translation. By demonstrating the dialogue that occurs between writers and readers in literature, Bill Ashcroft argues that cultural identity is not locked up in language, but that language, even a dominant colonial language, can be transformed to convey the realities of many different cultures. Using the figure of Caliban, Ashcroft weaves a consistent and resonant thread through his discussion of the post-colonial experience of life in the English language, and the power of its transformation into new and creative forms.

Genres: History

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Ximena Jiménez · Rating 4 out of 5]

La primera parte es una investigación histórica y una excusa sobre el personaje de Shakespeare: ¿qué se ha dicho de él? ¿cómo se ha reelaborado? La segunda es un análisis de las implicaciones culturales y políticas que conllevan la forma y sentido de los diálogos de y para Caliban en la obra. La tercera (la que más disfruté) es una discusión sociolinguística sobre dónde se halla el significado en la lengua y si ese significado tiene alguna relación con la identidad cultural. Bill Ashcroft pone en las instancias "nucleares" de la lingüística la cuestión colonial y eso es muy interesante. En general, tiene todo el marco postcolonial funcionando en la escritura, la identidad, la traducción y la apropiación del inglés.

[Odette Cortés · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though the focus of the book is to trace the different representations of Caliban throughout post-colonial literature, Ashcroft's research on the transformation of English is very interesting.

I would recommend this book to anyone that is not very familiar with some of the intricacies of the use of language in post-colonial literature because this book serves as a great introduction to those concepts.

[Zita · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8