The Poetics of Empire: A Study of James Grainger's the Sugar-Cane

First published in 1764, this volume is a major work in the history of Anglophone Caribbean literature. It is the only poem written in the Caribbean before the 20th century to achieve a place in the western canon. Grainger sought to interpret his personal experience of the Caribbean through his wide and deep reading in literature, from the Greeks and Milton. This achievement is a "West Indian Georgic", challenging assumptions about poetic diction and the proper subject-matter of poetry, and boldly asserting the importance of the Caribbean to the 18th century British empire. this is the first reliable text and critical study of the poems, offering an extensive introduction and notes with new information on Grainger's life and the origins and reception of the poem, as well as its influence on later Caribbean writers. James Grainger (1721-1766), doctor, poet and translator, is well-known figure in 18th century English literature. A Scotsman by birth and a St Kittian by origin, his many poems and essays reflect the reactionary writings emerging against English cultural hegemony at the time and offer a keen insight into the re-writing of the prevalent colonial discourse.