Romantic shores, postcolonial tides: A dialogue between British and Caribbean beach poetry

Abstract

The concept of the beach as a liminal space—existing as a boundary between sea and land, as well as between nations—has captivated observers for centuries. The literary canon of British literature contains numerous poems that focus on the beach, including works by Matthew Arnold and William Wordsworth. This paper aims to expand upon the English tradition by comparing poems by British and postcolonial treatments of the beach by Anglophone Caribbean writers. It will focus specifically on the poetry of Derek Walcott, Olive Senior, Jean Binta Breeze, John Agard, and Grace Nichols. Considering that the Caribbean islands, much like Great Britain, are surrounded by the sea, Caribbean writers find themselves inevitably drawn to the subject of the beach. They explore its significance as a site of joy and sorrow, arrival and departure. Due to the fact that many Anglophone Caribbean writers live in exile, they often juxtapose their personal Caribbean experiences of the beach with the beaches of their new countries of residence. Thus, the beach becomes their initial encounter with their new “home”. Consequently, the beach, as depicted by the aforementioned authors, provides a backdrop for reflections on history and diaspora, facilitating comparisons and contrasts between the homeland and the new land, the Caribbean, and the European reality of their current lives. Within this framework, the beach is viewed as a gateway from the old home to the new one.