Coda: The Woman of Colour and Living Memory

Abstract

Abstract:This essay explores the concept of storytelling in Jamaican culture by connecting my account of childhood stories told by my Jamaican father with the text The Woman of Colour (1808). As a mixed-heritage woman who discovered the text while living in Bristol, England, I highlight in my personal narrative why Olivia's story was significant and how it helped me to contextualize my own identity and experience. Through a series of unexpected events, which are described through my own storytelling, this essay reveals how historic, fictional texts such as The Woman of Colour humanize historical accounts and bring an appreciation of the complexity of identity.