The Literary Dimension of the Spread of English: Creativity in a Second Tongue

Abstract

Literatures that have developed as the result of the spread of English have generally been examined using the same criteria & theories used for native-language works. The validity of this approach is questioned. Emphasis is placed on the spread of English to the former British colonies in Asia, Africa, & the Pacific region. It is argued that the literary paradigms of each country in this region that produces English-language literature are unique, made so by the particular cultural history of each country in combination with the colonial experience. Some new, more appropriate methods for examining these literatures are proposed. B. Annesser Murray.