This is Not a Fairytale: Anansi and the Web of Narrative Power

THIS IS NOT A FAIRY TALE: Anansi and the Web of Narrative Power Abstract This chapter will begin by exploring the origins of Anansi the trickster spider before scrutinising the classification of Anansi stories. While providing an overview of how Anansi tales were adapted to the Jamaican plantation environment, it asks if the stories should be categorised as folktales, myths or fairy tales and what the implications of these catogorisations might be. It then focuses on the cultural adaptations of the stories in a contemporary context, demonstrating the changes Anansi has undergone in his journey into twenty-first century cutting-edge Caribbean cultural forms such as dancehall. The chapter offers the reader an expert insight into the evolution of the trickster stories while making the case for their continued relevance in Jamaican society and politics today.