End of Empire

It is easy to see the negative results of imperialism, but there may also be positive ones (education).

Remember that the UK was once a colony too - of the Roman Empire.

The collapse of Britain as a world power - economic reasons. Britain had a captive market and became incredibly rich.

When you have a captive market there is the danger of complacency. You maintain the status quo whereas other countries develop new ideas and are able to produce goods more cheaply.

Britain did not notice that the rest of the world was catching up. How does this relate to literature (you may well ask??)

Most of the demise of the British Empire occurred after the end of WW2 (symbolised by the Suez debacle in 1956).

Britain had continued to behave as if it were a world power - until Suez when it became evident that it wasn't.

The course materials are encouraging you to look beneath the surface of texts.

Feelings of loss. inc. loss of confidence, demoralization, despair etc. may be partly due to the end of empire (do not over generalize).

Course assignments - option A.

'At Grass' - Larkin. Has been read as an allegory for the end of empire - but this is possibly pushing the point too far.

However the poem is like much of his other work in that there is a sense of nostalgia and loss.

Question to ask is why did he choose to write about things coming to an end? (ideology)

Ted Hughes - a 'nature poet' (why? - ideology)

There is a tradition of writing about nature and the countryside - but why continue to do so when the majority of the population are better able to identify with urban life?

Someone who persistently writes about animals is making an ideological choice.(relate this to the End of Empire)

Hughes emphasises predatory nature of Life. His poems have been read as political allegories.

Myths - ideological constructs - convenient symbol - Whose interests are being served?

Option B.

Take care regarding Sara Suleri (hers is a rather extreme application of feminism)

'Passage to India' is about end of empire - NB - it was written in 1926. Forster (and Aziz) predicts it.

Indians - show lack of respect to the Brits, and criticise them. (Brits are actually guilty of the things that they are criticised for).

NB Forster was critical at a time when he would have been expected to be pro-Empire.

Farce of the trial - nothing had actually happened - Adela's imagination. - force of legal power of the British brought down to bear. In fact it was often the whites who sexually attacked the native women, and not the other way round (See 'Sex and Empire', Ronald Hyman, Manchester U.P.)

Landscape - could the way that Forster treats the landscape be seen as relating to the end of empire - symbolism

NB - question says 'compare' not 'contrast'.

Feedback on earlier assignments

1. You must create an argument, rather than describing a text - the argument must engage with the topics of the question.

2. Remember that 2-3 short poems constitute a text, not just one - unless it is a long one such as 'The Waste Land'.

3. Inappropriate phrases for academic essays / forms of sign-posting:

We must ask ourselves...
It is important to be aware...
It is necessary to remember...
The reader thus has to decide...

[Many thanks to Kathryn Smith for these notes]