viii EDITORIAL NOTE

presented here are wide-ranging yet overlapping in theme; nevertheless,
each piece exhibits the disparate ways in which we might examine the
Caribbean from our own unique perspectives.
 Though many of the works that follow can be considered innovative
and interdisciplinary in nature, as a whole they do not reflect our
original desire to bridge work in literature and linguistics. An
unfortunate, yet somewhat familiar, surprise was that few papers were
submitted in the area of linguistics. Consequently we are able to include
only one paper by a linguist. The sharp boundaries imposed by our
respective disciplines and training remain evident.
 Writing now we are reminded again that scholars have varying ideas
and beliefs about human nature, society, art, and academia. What
seems most contentious at times is our role, the role of emerging
scholars, in each of these realms. Should our conceptions of what
Caribbean Studies is as well as what we think it should be influence
the questions we ask? Do both of these factors influence how aLl of us
frame our work, select and examine material and draw our conclusions?
Should one vision be weighted more than another? We hope that you
will keep in mind some of these questions as you read the works we
have selected for this volume.
 Thanks to all of those who submitted their work, and to the many
who helped with this project along the way. We are especially grateful
to Irina Rodriguez, Edgardo Perez Montijo, and Maria Cristina Rodriguez
for their input at crucial moments. A special thanks to Dr. Lowell Fiet
for his help and vote of confidence. We hope all of you enjoy this issue
of Sargasso.


 The Editorial Committee
 Raphael Dalleo, Sally Everson,
 David Lizardi, Elsa Luciano Feal,
 Don E. Walicek