Island Literature And The White Anglo-saxon Myth

By careful study on The Tempest,Robinson Crusoe,Gulliver's Travels,The Coral Island,Treasure Island and Lord of the Flies, this thesis employes post-colonial criticism to analyse colonialism's development and expand for the above six works. This thesis aims to draw the conclusion as follows:Island literature exhibits the whole process of construction,development and disintegration of Anglo-Saxons White Myth, which bulid up and consolidate hegemony through barbarizing the Other,ethnic narcissistic and colonial expansion . Then it is promoted by different literary works. However, culture monism is bound to be overturned, so the author puts forward pluralism to replace monism. This thesis is devided to three parts:In first chapter the author probes into the construction of Anglo-Saxons White Myth. In three aspects, barbaring the Other,narcissistic and identifing colonist and aborigine, The Tempest,Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver's Travels establish the White Myth.In second chapter the development of the White Myth is demonstrated. From the myth of pioneer and expansion as well as metaphor on growth, the author analyses colonial discourse and conception in Robinson Crusoe,Gulliver's Travels,The Coral Island and Treasure Island, and searches the development of the White Myth.In third chapter the author anatomies Anglo-Saxons White Myth disintegration and its reason. As early as Swift's menditation ,the clue of disintegration can be found. When Lord of the Flies has been published the the White Myth collapsed undoubtfully.The whole process of construction,development and disintegration of Anglo-Saxons White Myth urges human beings to reflect on the consequence of culture monism. Harmony of human world attribute to pluralism rather than monism.