The Chosen Place, the Timeless People (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Paule Marshall
- First Published: 1969
- Type of Plot: Historical realism
- Time of Work: Unspecified; probably the 1960’s
- Setting: Bournehills, a fictional West Indian island
- Principal Characters: Merle Kinbona, Leesy Walkes, Vere Walkes, Allen Fuso, Saul Amron, Harriet Amron, Lyle Hutson
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Regional fiction, Postcolonial literature
- Subjects: African Americans, 1960’s, Caribbean, Blacks, Gay men, Homosexuality or homosexuals, Biracial people, Creoles, Adultery, Anti-Semitism, Developing countries, Islands, Multiculturalism
- Locales: Caribbean, Islands
The Novel
Through her experiences as an American of Barbadian heritage, Paule Marshall embodies the cultural dichotomy that provides the major tension in much of her fiction, including The Chosen Place, the Timeless People. This novel, exploring the means through which an individual comes to identify with a group, moves beyond the individual. It examines the problems facing many Third World countries in their struggle to establish a national identity.
The novel is divided into four books, each individual title representing one aspect of the connection between the...
[The entire page is 3137 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
