English 101

Ananci Spider

Ananci is a character out of Caribbean folk tales.  Often he's known as the trickster, the prank, similar to Coyote in Native American mythology.   Through the most foolish and daring maneuvers, Ananci always seems to win what he wants.

These mythologies are often known as the 'Ananci stories,' which is why I've included him as the main figure on every page.  Ananci is the link that ties the Caribbean islands together, in a way:  none of the stories take place on a particular island.  They take place on every island.  

In one of the stories, Ananci becomes the bearer of the tales.  Previously, Tiger owned the stories.  Through devious and clever means, Ananci won them for himself.  But I am not here to tell you the story (though, if you're interested, email me and I'll be happy to share).  What intrigues me about Ananci is how his stories tie things together and make sense out of Caribbean history.  Do they sound like essays in how they make sense of the world?  Sort of.  But the sense-making doesn't come from the stories themselves:  it comes from the person who listens to them and uses them as tools for understanding.  Always, the sense-making comes back to the reader, to the audience, to the writer.  In a way, aren't we all playing at Ananci stories every time we make sense out of nonsense through writing?

I'll leave that for you to think about.