2 CONTENTS 3 |.INTRODUCTION eiiliercdecion + |. Imperialism vs Colonialism: + LHtstorcal background:Rise & Fal ofthe British Em __lmpeilism: the prince of stem driven by ideo. + 3. Literary backgro * Colonialism: system of exablshing colonies driven by commerce + Lat ihe Beh Empire? aetna! + A wort sem of clo proncones nd werore that ra yan of some + S.Rudyard Kiping three cemaries vas under the ovennen th crown of Great Bran sce he I. Breton +The British Commonwealth + 7.Baiiogrpty 2 chem pn nog i Bi + Nowadays: nce former lamer of th rth pire na free asoctin of sovereign ts 4 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: RISE & FALL OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE Me Briish Empire expanding from areas formerly controlled by the Dutch and Spanish and a conflict with French colonial expansion inthe late 17® and early 18 c.ths empire ‘expanded on to Canada and India, but the American Revolution (1776) brought the fiat empire to an end. ‘+ the Second British Empire, niated by the exploratory travels of James Cook to Australia and New Zealand in the 1770s:This reached its widest point during the reign of Queen Vietoria (1837-190). + the 20° saw the dismantling of the Empire with the independence of India (1947) Hong Kong (1997)5 3. LITERARY BACKGROUND + This period is characterised by its morality, lierary * Also, education was made compulsory, ‘which produced a vast group of reading public + The novel was considered not only the ‘most important genre but also a primary ‘means of analysing and offering solutions ‘to social and political problems — 6 4.JOSEPH CONRAD (1857-1924) 4-JOSEPH CONRAD (1857-1924) + Born in the Ukraine which once belonged to ‘Conrad was primarily seen in his time as a writer of sea stories. Poland buc then was under Rusian rue Poet and eee = Sapapeeesas errerndeeneee sees + ACT he was determined to go to the sea.Conrad ceaiael Joined the Brash merchant serie in 1878. In 1886. be was given Brith ckienshp and charged ‘Among his early novels, we find two works based on his ‘offcly hs name to Joseph Conrad ‘experience of Malaya, such as Almayer's Folly (1895) & An + Alter spending several years through the ocean ‘Outcast of the Islands (1896) Lord Jim: a tale (1900) ‘steam ships, sling Austral, America andthe ‘South Paeiehe sued in Arisa along the Congo ‘All throughout his fiction, Conrad is concerned with moral [Rivera journey whieh provided him with enoufh dilemmas, the isolation of the individual tested by experience ‘mater t write "Heart of Darkness” (189) and the psychology of inner urges in both groups and individuals.4. JOSEPH CONRAD (1857-1924) *+ Within Conrad's writing it can be observed a series of conflicts and dualties: characters in Lord Jim or Heart of Darkness do not think (of them as isolated. + Romance vs realism: Conrad does not get involved so much with detalls of the exotic places. Rather, he expresses hidden feelings, usually pessimistic, such as in Nostromo. * Imperialism vs justice: there isa sense of injustice in the world because of imperialism over the poor coloured people. * Conrad was a source of inspiration for some later writers so diverse as Eliot Yeats, Joyce, ‘early Lawrence, Faulkner and certain central aspects of Woot sensibility and language. 10 5.RUDYARD KIPLING (1865-1936) + Known as a writer of short-stories novels and poetry and SB tfeerters bis formal education in England were neste ece on tro Brit Eompire and [ie narrated in the story Baa Baa, Black Sheep (1888), im Inhis poem The White Man's Burden 1276 the English schoolboy code of honour and duty 2 deeply afected his views in later life. Later, in Stalley & Co * The Widow at Winsor, Kipling draws on the Indian scene, as i (1899) he also dealt with childhood and how the highest is viewed through the eyes of private soldiers ofthe regular army. goals of English education are joined to a tumult of teasing, Ti roseneie ean CUE Chene OY es: bullying and beating. 9 5.RUDYARD KIPLING (1865-1936)11 5.RUDYARD KIPLING (1865-1936) Kipling’s main themes are about attitudes towards British rule in India, he strongly believed that it was proper and legitimate to “own” India, and a questioning of the matter never crossed his mind. India is the ideal metaphor as it is the natural vehicle to express artistic attitudes, rather than political visions on those issues. Finally, it can be concluded that he was a prolific and versatile writer whose journalistic experience served him to include stories of Indian life, children and animals which are told with great vitality. He had an inventive mind and a romantic taste for the adventurous and the supernatural, along with «colloquial style which ensured a popular reception. 12 6. CONCLUSION ‘The general historical and literary background dealt in this unit lead us directly into the formation and dismantling of the Empire in the 20% century, and colonial literature reassessed UK national identity from a postcolonial perspective. In fact, Britain insisted on educating the citizens of its colonies, which started reading English literature and being literate. This helped to create an anglophile and new foreign narratives connected to English literature.