Fortgeschrittenenseminar Empire and Literature from Defoe to Conrad

The British Empire was the largest empire in history, a worldwide system of colonies, protectorates and other territories -on which the sun never set-. Even today, decades after its end, its legacy continues to influence world politics and the culture and identity of Britain as well as the former colonies. In this seminar we will first look at the history and the cultural impact of the British Empire from its beginnings in the sixteenth to its end in the twentieth century. After that, the focus will be on the role of literature in the mirroring, shaping, legitimizing and questioning of imperial attitudes. We will read Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719), Haggard's King Solomon's Mines (1885), Conrad's Heart of Darkness (1899) and Kipling's Kim (1901), and also analyse how in these texts empire is tied to questions of race, gender and (national) identity. Apart from the four novels, we will look at relevant poems and extracts from travel literature and political texts. In addition, you will be asked to read texts by postcolonial thinkers like Edward Said. Please be aware that there is a lot of reading in this course. You should have read Robinson Crusoe and King Solomon's Mines before the start of the semester (there will be a test in the first session). Please purchase the following editions: Daniel Defoe. [1719] 2007. Robinson Crusoe. Ed. Thomas Keymer. Oxford: Oxford University Press. H. Rider Haggard. [1885] 2008. King Solomon's Mines. Ed. Dennis Butts. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Joseph Conrad. [1899] 2007. Heart of Darkness. Ed. Owen Knowles. London: Penguin. Rudyard Kipling. [1901] 2011. Kim. Ed. Harish Trivedi. London: Penguin. The four novels will be available at -Words’Worths-; further texts will be distributed in class. Anmeldung Prüfungsanmeldung (über LSF) : 7. - 16. Januar 2015 Department III - Anglistik und Amerikanistik LMU München WiSe 1415 Dr. Fricke Stefanie