Paper no 11 Post colonial Literature

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Primary difference between colonial and post-colonial literature

Name : Vadher Arti Hareshbhai

Roll no : 5

Year: 2016-18

M.A. semester :3

Paper no : 11 post-colonial  Literature

Email id : artivadher10@gmail.com

Assignment topic :  Primary difference between colonial and post-colonial literature           
Submitted to : smt.S.B.Gardi, Department of English.

What is colonial Literature?

                                  Colonial literature is the body of creative work produced by the early American colonists. These works include the personal, emotional poetry of Anne Bradstreet, the jeremiads produced by preachers like Increase Mather and Jonathan Edwards, and the popular Indian captivity narratives.

                                     Early colonists, especially the New England colonists, were surprisingly literate. Puritans wrote poetry and sermons in the service of God, and explorers and adventurers wrote tracts on their discoveries in hopes of obtaining funding and political support. Colonial leaders, aware that they were creating a new land with a new history, carefully recorded everything that occurred in their new homes. When printing presses arrived, their owners published broadsides, pamphlets and sermons. The high-selling Indian captivity narratives perhaps represent the first wholly American genre of writing.       

                              The boundaries of Colonialism, like those of many literary eras, are difficult to draw. The history of Colonialism as a policy or practice goes back for centuries, and arguably the story of Colonialism is not over yet. Thus literature of several ages reflects concerns about Colonialism in depictions of encounters with native peoples and foreign landscapes and in vague allusions to distant plantations. As colonial activity gained momentum in the late nineteenth century, so the reflection of that activity— as a celebration of European might or as fears of what lay in the wilderness—grew in intensity. Thus rough boundaries for the literary movement of Colonialism would begin in 1875, when historians date the start of a “New Imperialism,” through the waning empires of World War I and up to the beginning of World War II, around 1939, although the years after World War I reflect primarily nostalgia for an era that was rapidly coming to a close. Colonialism is primarily a feature of British literature, given that the British dominated the imperial age; even colonial writers of other nationalities often wrote in English or from an English setting. The literature of Colonialism is characterized by a strong sense of ambiguity: uncertainty about the morality of imperialism, about the nature of humanity, and about the continuing viability of European civilization. Perhaps the essential colonial critique is Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, though such works as...

                   

What is post-colonial Literature?

Postcolonial literature is the literature of countries that were colonized, mainly by European countries. It exists on all continents except Antarctica. Postcolonial literature often addresses the problems and consequences of the decolonization of a country, especially questions relating to the political and cultural independence of formerly subjugated people, and themes such as racialism and colonialism. A range of literary theory has evolved around the subject.

Migrant literature and postcolonial literature show some considerable overlap. However, not all migration takes place in a colonial setting, and not all postcolonial literature deals with migration. A question of current debate is the extent to which postcolonial theory also speaks to migration literature in non-colonial settings.

 In many works of literature, specifically those coming out of Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent, we meet characters who are struggling with their identities in the wake of colonization, or the establishment of colonies in another nation. For example, the British had a colonial presence in India from the 1700s until India gained its independence in 1947. As you can imagine, the people of India, as well as the characters in Indian novels, must deal with the economic, political, and emotional effects that the British brought and left behind. This is true for literature that comes out of any colonized nation. In many cases, the literature stemming from these events is both emotional and political.

The post-colonial theorist enters these texts through a specific critical lens, or a specific way of reading a text. That critical lens, post-colonial theory or post-colonialism, asks the reader to analyze and explain the effects that colonization and imperialism, or the extension of power into other nations, have on people and nations.

                 

Primary Difference – Colonial vs Postcolonial Literature

                       The main difference between colonial and postcolonial literature lies in the time period the literature was created and the perspective of the literary text. Colonial literature refers to the literature that was written during the colonial period, before the decolonization. Postcolonial literature was written after the decolonization. Thus, the perspective of these two genres are also different; colonial literature contains the perspective of the colonisers whereas postcolonial literature is written in the perspective of the colonised or the formerly colonised people. Postcolonial literature can be defined as a challenge and resistance to the colonial perspectives. This is the main difference between colonial and postcolonial literature.

                        

1. Characteristics of Colonial Literature

2. Characteristics of Postcolonial Literature

3. Primary Difference Between Colonial and Postcolonial Literature

              

         Colonial Literature – Characteristics

Colonial literature refers to the literature during the period the colonisation, written from the perspective of the colonisers. These stories are usually set in the distant, colonised lands and explore the exotic strangeness of these colonised land.  Most of these stories portrayed the colonisers as the superior race and colonised as inferior, often a primitive group of people. The main characters in colonial literature are often white; the colonised people only play subordinate roles. These works of literature portray colonisation and imperialism as natural processes, i.e., civilising the primitives.

Works of H. Rider Haggard (King Solomon’s Mine, She) and Rudyard Kipling (Kim) can be taken as examples colonial literature.

               

Illustration from The 1895 edition of The Two Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling

Postcolonial Literature

                             Postcolonial literature refers to literature of countries that were colonised by European countries. These works are written by people in the former colonies and therefore discusses the problems and consequences of the colonisation and decolonization. However, some critics also argue that literature that expresses resistance and opposition to colonialism can be defined as postcolonial literature despite its author or period.

 

Characteristics of Postcolonial Literature

·         Postcolonial writers describe native people, places and practices to counteract the inaccurate, generalised stereotypes created by the colonisers.

·         Postcolonial writers chose to write in the language of the coloniser; however, most of them deliberately remould the language to reflect the rhythms of indigenous languages. They also invent new words, syntax and styles.

·         Postcolonial writers also reshape and rework colonial art forms by incorporating indigenous styles, structures and themes such as oral poetry and dramatic performance.

Chinua Achebe, Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, NgũgĩwaThiong’o are some prominent postcolonial authors.

What is the Primary Difference Between Colonial and Postcolonial Literature

Definition

Colonial literature is the literature written during the colonisation, using colonies as a setting.

Postcolonial literature is the literature that expresses opposition or resistance to colonisation.

Perspective

Colonial literature is often written from the perspective of the coloniser.

Postcolonial literature is written from the perspective of the former colonised.

Portrayal

Colonial literature portrays colonisation as a natural, unproblematic, often ‘correct’ process.

Postcolonial literature portrays the problems and consequences of colonisation and decolonization.

Indigenous People and Culture

Colonial literature often portrays indigenous people and culture savage or primitive.

Postcolonial literature attempts to describe indigenous people, places and practices to counteract the stereotypical images portrayed by the colonisers.