Abstract This paper examines "Culture and Imperialism" by Edward Said, illustrating imperialism through various modes of culture. The paper outlines Said's explanation that imperialism is an ideology that justifies, supports, and legitimates the conquest, control, and domination of lands that are inhabited by other people, who speak different languages and have other traditions. The paper also describes various literary works of the same time period and claims that Said viewed imperialism as the central theme of European literature in the 19th century.
From the Paper "Edward Said's Culture and Imperialism postulates that imperialism is not about a moment in history, but rather, about a continuing, interdependent relationship between a people and the dominant peoples and the dominant dialogue of an empire. Said sees "the disputed value of knowledge about imperialism . . . (as) a compellingly important and interesting configuration in the world of power and nations. There is no question," he insists, "that in the past decade the extraordinarily intense reversion to tribal and religious sentiments all over the world has accompanied and deepened many of the discrepancies among polities that have continued since . . . the period of high European imperialism.? "
Tags: 19th, century, colonialism, european, history, ideology, literature, traditions
Abstract In this article, the writer provides a detailed and critical study of the Victorian Age through its literature. The writer maintains that the literature of this period not only reflects the age but also defines it in many ways. From a social perspective the age is characterized by utilitarianism, but the essay shows how literature stands opposed to the social tendencies sparked by the industrial revolution and imperialism. The writer discusses that Victorian literature is revolutionary, and the effects of this revolution are profound and far-reaching.
Outline:
Introduction
Early Period (1830-1848)
Middle Period (1848-1870)
Late Period (1870-1901)
From the Paper "Charles Dickens is another rebel in the mould of Carlyle, though having a completely different meter. He had neither the education nor the profound depth of Carlyle. He wrote popular fiction for the masses, and thereby acquired a voice completely his own. His genius is in creating characters larger than life, and yet the concerns he voices are never far from those of his readership. Like Carlyle he knows at first sight who are the villains, and who are the heroes, and depicts them with all the relish he can muster. It was hugely entertaining to his readership, and at the same time is a searing document to the times. His earlier novels are lighter in tone; he becomes progressively somber and bleak, in step with the march of industrialism. Hard Times is from his middle period, and is one of the few occasions when he tried his hand at being profound, with the result that this is not considered one of his best. However Coketown is a haunting depiction of Industrial Britain, poverty ridden, smeared, darkened and poisoned by the effluence of the factories."
Abstract This paper compares the points of view of the characters and the authors on imperialism in two novels on the subject, Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" and George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant". This paper shows that even though both characters from these novels are on the side of the 'intruders,' they feel remorse or despise imperialism.
From the Paper "Another issue that comes up in both of these works is the issue of the character becoming encompassed. In Orwell's work, the main character is encompassed by the thousands of natives that are there, enticing him to shoot the elephant. In Conrad's work, Marlow is encompassed by the surroundings themselves such as when Marlow states, "The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return" (Conrad, 1983). Both of these examples help to enhance the theme of becoming one of the natives. Being encompassed, whether by the natives or the surroundings, you are becoming part of that nation."
Abstract This paper discusses the relationship between imperialism and capitalism from the time of the Spanish Empire to the present. The author describes both forces--capitalism and imperialism--and argues that imperialism is the monopoly stage of capitalism. The paper relates the purpose of Spanish imperialism and how the forms of imperialism have changed over time.
From the Paper "For many world scholars, the form of slavery, begun by the English in the seventeenth century and continued into the nineteenth century by the Americans, is merely the most naked form of imperialism. It is the domination of an oppressor ..."
Abstract This paper looks at imperialism in the 20th century. It takes a look at both the pro-imperialism and anti-imperialism points of view. Included are the pro-imperialism ideologies of Teddy Roosevelt and Adolph Hitler and the anti-imperialism arguments of Frantz Fanon and Mahandas Gandhi,as well as others. The political ideas of expansionism and protectionism are explored.
From the Paper "As the 20th century unfolded, the struggle for and against imperialism continued escalate and became a dominant issue on the world political stage. While political figures in countries as disparate as Nazi Germany and the United States supported and justified imperialism, those who were subjects of it willingly put their lives on the line to oppose it and, hopefully, bring it to an end. For the most part, the pro-imperialist, based their arguments on economic need and/or racism. Such is true in the cases of Jules Ferry, Theodore Roosevelt, and Adolph Hitler. On the other hand, those who stood against imperialism based their arguments on human rights and self-determination. Just before the dawn of the 20th century, both Ferry of France and Roosevelt of the United States led the charge for expansionism by their respective countries."
Abstract This paper examines the themes and issues presented in Robert Johnson's book "British Imperialism: Histories and Controversies". The paper also analyzes the historiography of British imperialism and discusses the consequences of colonization.
From the Paper "Johnson's purpose in this book is to explain some of the histories and controversies surrounding British imperialism, a concept he believes that was continuously evolving, was somewhat incoherent and even contradictory. Johnson considers his book an introduction to British imperialism, not a history of the British Empire. As such some of the content is presented in outline form rather than in depth. However presented, the content supports his aim of explaining how some of the historiography..."
Abstract The paper discusses three theories about the New Imperialism policies of Europe and the United States. The paper explains the causes of the New Imperialism policies, including economic reasons, emergence of nation states and nationalism, cultural and religious motives.
From the Paper "The phrase "New Imperialism" has historically been used to describe the various competing imperialist policies of Europe and the United States at the end of the Nineteenth and beginning of the Twentieth centuries. This new imperialism was different in a number of ways from the old practices, not the least of which was the fact that it was widely recognized and criticized in its own time. There has been much debate within the field concerning what the actual causes of the new imperialist era were."
Tags: new imperialism, hayes, hobson, lenin, ferry, bismarck, kipling
Abstract The paper explores how the new European imperialism of the 19th century relied on various stages of industrial, scientific and technological advancements that were causes for this to occur. The paper explains how the process of world domination relied on quicker methods of mass production, greater medical advancements and the ideological construct of Darwinism that was used to validate the colonization of so-called lesser races. The paper points out how before the 19th century, nations such as Great Britain could not as quickly produce or technologically be able to sustain the mass invasions that they had accomplished in this century.
From the Paper "This historical analysis will analyze the new imperialism of the 19th century and the various causes that helped to change the human condition in European history. In the advent of the industrial age, one can realize the growing reliance on electricity, machines, and the scientific advances that produced population growth in Europe and America. In many ways, these were the causes of the far easier usage of energy sources, mass production, and population growth, which powerful countries used in having access to a new global imperial agenda. With the advance of science and technology countries such as Great Britain could now exploit and militarily control lesser nations. These are the various causes of the new imperialism that changed the way powerful countries controlled the world in the 19th century.
This paper analyzes and compares the following contemporary books: 'Trash Culture', 'The Death of Literature', 'The Medium is the Massage' and 'What was Literature?'.
Abstract This paper discusses four books about literature today. The author of the paper's ideas are the following: Richard Keller Simon's book 'Trash Culture' encourages studying classic literature and both its classical and contemporary interpretations. Leslie Fiedler's book 'What Was Literature?' states that the examination of the art novel is a pass? exercise; that our approach is flawed if we cannot cater to the detective novel, the pornographic fancy, or the comic strip. Marshall McLuhan's book 'The Medium is the Massage' discusses messages as well as the importance of themes in novels. Alvin Kernan's book' The Death of Literature' advocates negative views against television. The paper also includes examples of modern movies and television shows and compares them to certain books.
From the Paper "Richard Keller Simon, in his book 'Trash Culture' advocates the simultaneous study of classic literature through its traditional forms and contemporary interpretation, highlighting the importance of promoting popular culture in conjunction with classic literature in order to comprehend the crucial perspective in which the books materialize. (R. K. Simon, California, 3-5) In rejecting Stallone's interpretation and condensation of the Iliad as not having the ability to convey any of the inherent messages of its classic counterpart, we deny popular culture as a possibly influential schooling device. (Spectrum, Australia, 1) "
Abstract This paper focuses on World War II literature, particularly literature produced during the war itself, as well as the the immediate post-war period. The writer of this paper examines how the traumatic narratives used in these particular works of writing are circulated and perceived throughout culture. The writer contends and explains the manner in which these traumatic narratives share theoretical space with memory. This paper also examines the correlation between the reality of events that actually occurred to those associated with trauma and memory. This paper analyzes the studies that situate literature within the network of its then contemporaneous political field that tended to avoid exploring the mechanisms responsible for the appearance of historical events in texts written during this period.
From the Paper "There are many questions raised by such a description of trauma. First, since trauma is precisely the absence of the event, or the haunting of the present by a displaced experience that was never experienced nor understood at the "proper" time, it seems paradoxical that I would favor it as a method for foregrounding individual experience. But if it is true that memory is itself subject to many of the same epistemological problems raised by the study of trauma, then ultimately trauma is perhaps the best method for foregrounding individual experience. However, the subject of suffering does pose a larger problem for this notion of trauma; Scarry observes in The Body in Pain that pain is unsymbolizable, hence one can never adequately communicate what she or he is experiencing. This posits an interior space unavailable to the signifying field, revealing a limitation of the method I am outlining here."
Abstract The evolution of literature in America has been an extraordinary process, where its development from humble descriptions of exploration to extraordinary works of fiction demonstrates a comparable form of development within the American people. This paper explores the concept of "American Literature" in respect to its evolution from the Columbian period through the Ante- Bellum period.
An examination of the different ways prejudice can be approached in children's literature, focusing on Terry Pratchett's "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents" and Karen Levine's "Hana's Suitcase."
675 words (approx. 2.7 pages), 2 sources, 2005, $ 26.95
Abstract This paper examines the incident and approach to the matter of prejudice in children's literature. The paper discuss how this has been accomplished in Terry Pratchett's "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents" and Karen Levine's "Hana's Suitcase." The paper discusses the different ways in which these two authors approach prejudice and how difficult a topic it is to address in children's literature.
From the Paper "Dealing with Prejudice in Children's Literature This paper examines the incident and approach to the matter of prejudice in children's literature. Because this can be a difficult subject at any age level, dealing with it in children's literature can be especially difficult. Below, I will discuss how this has been accomplished in Terry Pratchett's The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents and Karen Levine's Hana's Suitcase. Sometimes, addressing prejudice is done in a very straightforward fashion. Readers are never question the fact that prejudice is one of the primary themes of the work. This is the case in Hana's Suitcase. However, other writers approach the subject more subtly and less directly, preferring to dance around the matter with allusion and metaphor. This is Pratchett's approach in The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rats."
Abstract This paper is comprised of six short summaries of examples of world literature form the 'Norton Anthology of World Literature', 2nd edition, Volumes A and B. The summaries include the 'Genesis Tree of Life', 'Gilgamesh', the 'Pardoner's Prologue and Tale', 'a Conference of Birds', and 'Ovid's Metamorphoses'. The final page comments on the historical timeline of these stories and their significance.
From the Paper "The tree of life is a part of the creation myth in the Bible. It is an additional icon in the Garden of Eden, usually overlooked in favor of focus on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The fruit of this tree grants immortality. The can be ascertained from the name of the tree but also from a brief description of the tree that Good gives in Genesis 3:22. Of course, it is little wonder that the tree of life does not figure a larger place in the creation story: it is only mentioned twice in the entire book of Genesis. It is first mentioned in Genesis 2:9, which reads, "the tree of life also in the midst of the garden" (58). Of course, this doesn't tell us much about the tree of life. "
Abstract This article explores the themes of religious hypocrisy rife in the literature of eighteenth century England. It utilizes the texts of "The Vicar of Wakefield", "Joseph Andrews", and "The Way of the World" to reveal the convergence of both early novel and constant drama as exposers of the Church of England and its contradictions.
Tags: century, drama, eighteenth, england, literature, novels
