An Anthology of Colonial Literature 1870-1918 This is the first anthology to gather together British imperial writing alongside native and settler literature in English, interweaving short stories, poems, essays, travel writing, and memoirs from the phase of British expansionist imperialism known as high empire. A rich and startling diversity of responses to the colonial experience emerges: voices of imperial adventurers, administrators, memsahibs, propagandists, and poets intermingle with West Indian and South African nationalists, Indian mystics, Creole balladeers, women activists, and native interpreters. Drawn from India, Africa, the West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and Britian, this wide-ranging selection embraces some of empire's key symbols and emblematic moments as well as challenging accepted categories and definitions. Introduction and notes draw out cultural, historical, and political issues and provide essential context and insights into the literary background. Writers' biographies further extend the scope of the anthology, making it one of the most compelling, readable, and valuable source books on the period.
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