Andrea Levy

Levy: Small Island

In this course, Dr Michael Perfect (Liverpool John Moores University) explores Andrea Levy's 2004 novel Small Island. We begin with an introduction to the author herself, looking at her artistic influences and personal inspiration for the book. In the second module, we dissect the historical context and setting of the novel, especially the circumstances of the arrival of the HMT Windrush in 1948. In the third, we consider the Prologue and early chapters, thinking about how Queenie's perception of the British Empire Exhibition is used to set up the key themes in the novel. In the fourth module, we focus on Gilbert's motivations for fighting for Britain. In the fifth, we think about how the novel is polyvocal, and how this evidences Levy's understanding of the nature of history. Finally, in the sixth, we conclude by examining where the ending of the novel leaves our main characters, and us, as readers.

Andrea Levy

In this module, we discuss the author of Small Island (2004), Andrea Levy, and how her writing has been shaped by her life and by television.