An exploration of the diversity of Caribbean literature in both Spanish and English from a comparative standpoint. The course traces the West Indies' creative response to colonialism and its aftermath, including cultural and linguistic creolization, the relation between diaspora and homeland, as well as the literary revision of European canonical texts. Attention will also be paid to the impact of Francophone negritude on the rise of Caribbean self-fashioning. Readings and discussions conducted in English. Authors read include Alejo Carpentier, Harold Sonny Ladoo, Jean Rhys, Reinaldo Arenas, Earl Lovelace, Michelle Cliff, Luis Pales Matos, Derek Walcott, Mayra Montero, E. Kamau Brathwaite, Pedro Mir, C.L.R. James, Caryl Phillips, among others. Format: seminar. Requirements: weekly response papers to the readings (1-2 pages), one presentation, and a final comparative research essay (15 pages). Prerequisite: at least one 200-level literature course, or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected : 19). In the case of overenrollment, preference will be given to Spanish and Comparative Literature majors in advanced standing.