Study of Caribbean Literature: The Mimic Men by V.S. Naipaul
8-weeks | Registration closed 9/10/2025
This class will explore the influences of colonization on the lives of the peoples of the Caribbean islands through an examination of the novel, The Mimic Men by V. S. Naipaul. These influences are still affecting lives even though most islands have been independent for over 50 years because post-colonial ambivalence is ingrained in the culture. In these sessions, we will explore “mimicry” as presented by Naipaul. The novel is set in Trinidad and London but could be any island and any colonial state. The characters are well developed and the themes are obvious.
Jacqueline Goffe-McNish
Jacqueline Goffe-McNish, Ph.D., was a professor of English and Humanities at Dutchess Community College for thirty-two years. She has taught Composition, Introduction to Literature, African American Literature, Caribbean Literature, Technical Writing, and Bible as Literature since 1991 at DCC. She graduated from St. John Fisher University in Rochester and SUNY Brockport. Her master’s thesis was “The Teaching of African American Literature in High Schools”. She completed a Doctorate in Education at St. John Fisher University. She has written two textbooks: Composition in Fifteen Weeks, published by Kona Publishers and Analysis, Approaches, and Appeals in Introductory Literature, published by Kendall Hunt Publishers.