Jamaica Kincaid unravels the landscape of her writing

By: Lauren Alford

Jr. News Editor

Award-winning author, Jamaica Kincaid, answered audience questions, signed books and gave a sneak peek of her latest novel “See Now Then” on Friday, April 12 at the Maureen Stapleton Theatre.

Published in February 2013, “See Now Then” followed the life of Mr. Sweet, Mrs. Sweet and their two children Persephone and Heracles. As stated by Kincaid, the main theme of the novel is the notion of time.

“[The word ‘see’] is as if you’re looking into time, the now being right now, but as soon as you say the word ‘now’ it becomes ‘then’,” she explained. “And when you say ‘now’ it also is referring to ‘then’, the time to come.”

The characters, specifically Persephone and Heracles, were heavily influenced by the Greek mythology associated with their names. For example, Kincaid’s Persephone only comes out of her father’s pocket each spring.

“For a long time I’ve been taken with the idea of how we relate to landscape,” Kincaid said. “Some people have an unusual relationship with their landscape.”

While exploring the landscape of time, Kincaid said that she found a way of writing that she would not have been able to use in the past. Kincaid has maintained that “See Now Then” was a very difficult novel to write. She also said she does not expect students to try to read the book, as it is may be hard to follow.

“I sort of reveled in its difficulty, though it’s made me even more afraid of writing than I was before,” Kincaid said.

The audience members seemed to thoroughly enjoy Kincaid as her excerpt of “See Now Then” was met with warm applause.

“I think it was really good to hear her voice,” William Gorman, an architecture major, said. “It makes us really understand her writing style and the message she’s trying to portray to us.”

Gorman had read Kincaid’s short stories and poems, most notably “Girl”, in his English class.

First appearing in The New Yorker in 1978, “Girl” is a short story written by Kincaid. The story is a 650-word dialogue between a mother and her daughter. In the story, the mother gave instructions on how to live and assimilate into Antiguan society. The story highlighted the lasting mark of colonialism, patriarchy and the resulting misogyny on the Caribbean.

Many students related to “Girl” in a parent-and-child sense.

“The event was really good,” Carly Davis, an English major, stated. “Her short stories, ‘Girl’ in particular, have really feministic views.”

After reading Kincaid’s short stories, Davis decided to attend the event and get her book signed. However, she mostly wanted to see Kincaid in person. According to Davis, Kincaid’s political views and writing style were very interesting.

“[Kincaid] has some good insight on political opinions,” Daniel Hindes, an individual studies student, said.

Born Elaine Cynthia Potter Richardson, Kincaid is from St. John’s, Antigua. Kincaid’s experiences in Antigua have influenced the content and style of her writing. It has allowed her to explore the Caribbean through an American lens.

“I’m from the Caribbean, so I became excited when I found out she made this mark on American literature,” Hindes stated. “I think she’s a very intellectual and intelligent person.”

Kincaid’s appearance was co-sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Program and the English, Foreign Languages and English as a Second Language Department. To learn more about future events like this, visit https://www.hvcc.edu/campuslife/culture.html.