Summary: Said is commonly referred to as the authority on imperialism/colonialism in regards to the world of literature. A renowned literary critic, Edward Said explores the world of colonialism and post-colonialism in his collection of works, Culture and Imperialism. The two specific essays that I selected explore and directly relate to the general content of this course. In "Two Visions in Heart of Darkness," Said explores his perspective of how Conrad constructs the novel and why this is important. The first vision "allows the old imperial enterprise full scope to play itself out conventionally, to render the world as official European or Western imperialism saw it," (Said, 25). The second vision "sees itself as Conrad saw his own narratives, local to a time and place, neither unconditionally true nor unqualifiedly certain," (25). Said looks at if Conrad was writing Heart of Darkness as an attack on imperialism or as an argument for it. In "The Native Under Control" explores power relations between the Native and the invading force, providing various examples of these relations throughout literature, some of which we read in this unit.
Why it's included: Literary criticism can be a challenging task for students, but it is one that is incredibly helpful when it comes to critically reading a text. By reading Said's essays, the students will get an experience working with secondary sources and challenging literary criticism, and then explore how and why people write literary criticism. Reading essays by literary critics and theorists helps students approach the text from a much deeper, critical angle.
Use of text: We will read "The Native Under Control" right at the same time as we get to the introduction of John the Savage in Brave New World. We will read "Two Visions in Heart of Darkness" after reading the novel because I want the students to gain their own perspectives of the novel before reading someone else's. Once we read Said's essay, we will go back and look at the novel again, through this lens, and see where they can see examples of these two visions, using textual evidence to provide support for their claims. We can then translate this into a class discussion/debate on the two visions of Heart of Darkness, as well as explore avenues to seek other visions of the text as well. Literary criticism is challenging to read. I'm going to make this explicit to the students. It's difficult, you're going to struggle with it, and I am in no way expecting you to understand everything. But I would not assign it if I did not think that it was A.) doable and B.) helpful to the overarching theme of the unit. I want my students to struggle with and play with these concepts, ask lots of questions, which we can then discuss in class as a whole. The more practice that the students get with literary criticism, the more that they can then begin to think like literary critics and do their own critical analysis of the texts that they read in class.
Summary: This is an online file of a chapter from a history textbook on the Scramble for Africa. Unfortunately, I could not find the original author/publisher of the textbook, though the link is included in they hyperlink above. The chapter discusses some of the background of the Scramble for Africa during the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as reviewing some of the key terms that we have already introduced in this class. It describes Africa before the rush of colonialism took hold, why the Scramble for Africa took place, what drove imperialism, why specifically was the Congo desirable, as well as the wars and politics surrounding the division of Africa.
Why it's included: This chapter is a simple, concise, yet thorough overview of the events leading up to and during the Scramble for Africa. Having a historical context to a novel as challenging as Heart of Darkness is helpful when trying to understand why Marlow is in the Congo. There are many things in the novel that allude to issues discussed in this chapter, but are never directly talked about. Having the background knowledge on these details prior to reading Heart of Darkness will be helpful.
Use of text: This will be used to provide historical context to the setting and plot of Conrad's Heart of Darkness. It shows a physical map, which I will put up in class all unit, of which empires controlled what in Africa, as well as a lot of background to the events leading up to and during the Scramble for Africa. This brief historical background will give readers a better understanding to the what and why of Heart of Darkness, as well as a frame of reference as to the historical accuracy of the novel as well as providing insight into the mindset of Joseph Conrad when writing the novel, which can be later tied to the Said essay and the discussion that will follow it.
Summary: "In less that one hundred years, the British made themselves the masters of India. They ruled for another hundred, leaving behind the independent nations of India and Pakistan when they finally withdrew in 1947. Both nations would owe much to the British Raj: under its rule, Indians learned to see themselves as Indians; its benefits included railways, roads, canals, schools, universities, hospitals, universal language and common law.
None of this, however, was planned. After a series of emergencies in the eighteenth century transformed a business partnership-the East India Company-into the most formidable war machine in Asia, conquest gathered its own momentum. Fortunes grew, but, alongside them, Britons grew troubled by the despotism that had been created in their name. The result was the formation of a government that balanced firmness with benevolence, and had as its goal the advancement of India.
But the Raj, outwardly so monolithic and magnificent, always rested precariously on the goodwill of Indians. In this remarkable exploration of British rule in India, Lawrence James chronicles the astonishing heroism that created it, the mixture of compromise and firmness that characterized it, and the twists and turns of the independence struggle that ended it." (Via Amazon)
Why it's included: Similar to how the textbook chapter above provides background to the Scramble for Africa that is helpful to their understanding of Heart of Darkness, this text helps students gain additional knowledge about the British Raj in British India. I feel like many students may know something about the British occupation of India, though the extent of their knowledge may be limited. Most of our history classes tend to focus on US history, making British occupation of India a footnote in our history despite being at the forefront of India's. Bringing this knowledge to the forefront of our history will benefit them in their understanding of both A Passage to India as well as recent colonial history in general.
Use of text: This is a really long text, so we will only be reading certain portions of it. The part that I plan to focus on the most is the "Making" of the British Raj as it is what most directly applies to A Passage to India. Forster's novel occurs in the midst of the British Raj, and so using James' text in conjunction with A Passage to India to teach students the historical context of the novel will be incredibly helpful. Once we have read up on the key components of the "making" of the British Raj, and then completed A Passage to India, we can then begin to unmake the British Raj. We may or may not read some passages from Raj for that, depending on time and necessity, but it will not be as in depth as the "making" sections of the text. Instead, once we finish Forster's novel, we will then use the events in A Passage to India to deconstruct, or unmake, the Raj. How does Aziz's friendship with Mrs. Moore and Fielding deconstruct this established social hierarchy of the Raj? How do the Marabar Caves play into this structure? How does the fear of the "real India" in the novel reflect the fear of potential Indian rebellions in regards to the established power structures in British India?
Additional texts: We may also read some articles about Indian rebellions in the context of the novel and how the British's fear of revolt is reflected in the novel.
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