 | Empire Islands: Castaways, Cannibals, and Fantasies of Conquest Subjects: Islands in literature; English fiction -- History and criticism; English fiction -- English-speaking countries -- History and criticism; Castaways in literature; Imperialism in literature; Cannibalism in literature; Pirates in literature; Monsters in lite; Through a detailed unpacking of the castaway genre's appeal in English literature, Empire Islands forwards our understanding of the sociopsychology of British Empire. Rebecca Weaver-Hightower argues convincingly that by helping generations of readers to make sense of, and perhaps feel better about, imperial aggression, the castaway story in effect enabled the expansion and maintenance of European empire. Empire Islands asks why so many colonial authors chose islands as the setting for their stor |
