Posted: September 13th, 2017

Contemporary Writings on Empire: Colonialism and the Representation of Identities in Blixen’s Out of Africa, Waugh’s Black Mischief and Orwell’s Burmese Days

Contemporary Writings on Empire: Colonialism and the Representation of Identities in Blixen’s Out of Africa, Waugh’s Black Mischief and Orwell’s Burmese Days

Order Description

“1930’s for Great Britain Empire was one of the decades where the idea of colonialism was present and there were different movements about the colonisation of Africa and India. British men and women were travelling to Africa and India with the idea of civilizing the natives and creating an empire for themselves to rule the natives living in those areas. While implementing this idea of civilisation, the methods used by the British were inevitably affecting both the nature of the geography the natives live in and the nature of those natives themselves, i.e. “the identity of the natives”. These colonialism and representation/re-definition of the identities of the natives were discussed by different writers in the same era.
In my essay, I will be focusing on three different contemporary writings on “empire”: Blixen’s Out of Africa, Waugh’s Black Mischief and Orwell’s Burmese Days. I will try to analyse how the idea of empire is implemented, how this civilisation movement affected the nature of the landscape ( colonial movements – building schools, hospital, etc. on native area) and the natives themselves (colonialism) ; in other words, how their identities are affected. I will try to focus mainly on the physical representation of the natives (through the British writers’ -of the novels- perspective), prosperity/name (empowering of natives, some native’s desire of power, envy to colonial powers and some natives resisting) women(again, through British author’s perspective. how Blixen’s female protagonist represented for instance by means of colonial power) and the conquerors (colonial rulers). The aspects of the idea of civilization of the natives through British writers’ perspective in all these 1930s contemporary novels. And the idea of empire (how the idea of empire is demonstrated) is to be analyzed step by step under colonialism, which is observable through these 3 contemporary novels.

Key puts that may help about “representations”:
– Women: “memsahib” idea, servents and prostitudes (both of which are natives)
– The “club” of colonialists. (“British Club” in the area colonized, no natives allowed)
– Rulers, generals: how they rule under the idea of colonialism (different in Blixen’s for instance, protagonist is more friendly and beneficial for natives)

In short:
-Comparative analysis of contemporary novels (1930s), idea of forming an empire through British perspective.

Main Sources:
-Blixen, K. “Out of Africa”
-Orwell, G. “Burmese Days”
-Waugh, E. “Black Mischief”