Dark Paradise: Pacific Islands in the Nineteenth-Century British Imagination Contributor(s): Fuller, Jennifer (Author) |
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ISBN: 1474426115 ISBN-13: 9781474426114 Publisher: Edinburgh University Press OUR PRICE: $28.45 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: August 2017 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Australian & Oceanian - Literary Criticism | English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh |
Series: Edinburgh Critical Studies in Victorian Culture |
Physical Information: 0.6" H x 6.1" W x 9.2" (0.75 lbs) 256 pages |
Themes: - Cultural Region - Oceania - Cultural Region - British Isles |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Examines the way in which the British transformed the Pacific islands during the nineteenth century The discovery of the Pacific islands amplified the qualities of mystery and exoticism already associated with 'foreign' islands. Their 'savage' peoples, their isolation, and their sheer beauty fascinated British visitors across the long nineteenth century. Dark Paradise argues that while the British originally believed the islands to be commercial paradises or perfect sites for missionary endeavours, as the century progressed, their optimistic vision transformed to portray darker realities. As a result, these islands act as a 'breaking point' for British theories of imperialism, colonialism, and identity. The book traces the changing British attitudes towards imperial settlement as the early view of 'island as paradise' gives way to a fear of the hostile islanders and examines how this revelation undermined a key tenant of British imperialism - that they were the 'superior' or 'civilized' islanders. Key Features
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