Robert Louis Stevenson and the Colonial Imagination

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Robert Louis Stevenson and the Colonial Imagination by Ann C. Colley, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ann C. Colley ISBN: 9781351902779
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: July 5, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Ann C. Colley
ISBN: 9781351902779
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: July 5, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

In her distinguished and hauntingly rendered book, Ann C. Colley provides a fresh insight into Stevenson's multi-voiced South Seas fiction, as well as into the particulars and complications of living within a newly established site of Empire. Bringing to light information from the archives of the London Missionary Society and from other sources, such as the Royal Geographical Society (London), the Writers' Museum (Edinburgh), the Beinecke Library (Yale University), and the Huntington Library (San Marino, California), Colley examines the intricate nature of Robert Louis Stevenson's relation to imperialism. In particular, she investigates Stevenson's complex relationship to the missionary culture that surrounded him during the last six years of his life (1888-1894), revealing hitherto unscouted routes by which to understand Stevenson's experiences while he was cruising among the South Sea islands, and later while he was a resident colonial in Samoa. Beginning with a history of the missionaries in the Pacific that reveals Stevenson's criticism of, yet ultimate support for, their work, and demonstrates how these attitudes helped shape his South Sea fiction, Robert Louis Stevenson and the Colonial Imagination constitutes a major work of reconstruction from archival sources. Subsequent chapters focus on Stevenson's struggles with personal and cultural identity in the South Seas, and his interest in photography, panoramas, and magic lantern shows, revealing Stevenson's sensitivity to the ways light plays upon darkness to create meaning. In addition, Stevenson's serious commitment to political issues and his thoughts about power and nationhood are explored. Finally, Stevenson's recollections of his childhood are engaged not only to suggest an unacknowledged source (the juvenile missionary magazines) for A Child's Garden of Verses, but also to illuminate the generous reach of his imagination that exceeds the formulae of the missionary culture and the boundaries of the colonial construct.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In her distinguished and hauntingly rendered book, Ann C. Colley provides a fresh insight into Stevenson's multi-voiced South Seas fiction, as well as into the particulars and complications of living within a newly established site of Empire. Bringing to light information from the archives of the London Missionary Society and from other sources, such as the Royal Geographical Society (London), the Writers' Museum (Edinburgh), the Beinecke Library (Yale University), and the Huntington Library (San Marino, California), Colley examines the intricate nature of Robert Louis Stevenson's relation to imperialism. In particular, she investigates Stevenson's complex relationship to the missionary culture that surrounded him during the last six years of his life (1888-1894), revealing hitherto unscouted routes by which to understand Stevenson's experiences while he was cruising among the South Sea islands, and later while he was a resident colonial in Samoa. Beginning with a history of the missionaries in the Pacific that reveals Stevenson's criticism of, yet ultimate support for, their work, and demonstrates how these attitudes helped shape his South Sea fiction, Robert Louis Stevenson and the Colonial Imagination constitutes a major work of reconstruction from archival sources. Subsequent chapters focus on Stevenson's struggles with personal and cultural identity in the South Seas, and his interest in photography, panoramas, and magic lantern shows, revealing Stevenson's sensitivity to the ways light plays upon darkness to create meaning. In addition, Stevenson's serious commitment to political issues and his thoughts about power and nationhood are explored. Finally, Stevenson's recollections of his childhood are engaged not only to suggest an unacknowledged source (the juvenile missionary magazines) for A Child's Garden of Verses, but also to illuminate the generous reach of his imagination that exceeds the formulae of the missionary culture and the boundaries of the colonial construct.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book The Lineaments of Wrath by Ann C. Colley
Cover of the book Britain and the European Union by Ann C. Colley
Cover of the book Life in Southern Nigeria by Ann C. Colley
Cover of the book Carolingian Connections by Ann C. Colley
Cover of the book Church, State and Dynasty in Renaissance Poland by Ann C. Colley
Cover of the book China's Banking Law and the National Treatment of Foreign-Funded Banks by Ann C. Colley
Cover of the book 'The Temple of Music' by Robert Fludd by Ann C. Colley
Cover of the book International Environmental Law, Volumes I and II by Ann C. Colley
Cover of the book Valuing the Built Environment by Ann C. Colley
Cover of the book A Frequency Dictionary of Russian by Ann C. Colley
Cover of the book Cyber Security for Educational Leaders by Ann C. Colley
Cover of the book The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico 1517-1521 by Ann C. Colley
Cover of the book Contemporary Perspectives in Leisure by Ann C. Colley
Cover of the book The Holocaust in the Soviet Union: Studies and Sources on the Destruction of the Jews in the Nazi-occupied Territories of the USSR, 1941-45 by Ann C. Colley
Cover of the book Diderot's Part by Ann C. Colley
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy