Dark Paradise: Pacific Islands in the Nineteenth-Century British Imagination
Jennifer Fuller
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 ... Read more
Key Features
- The first monograph to trace the Pacific islands as represented through the lens of British fiction and non-fiction across the long nineteenth century
- Examines texts written by Pacific islanders and published in the British press
- Significantly broadens our understanding of the British Pacific by analysing understudied Pacific texts and authors alongside more canonical works
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