The history of literature has always been closely linked to the spirit of the era in which writers created. While texts of the early Middle Ages have a pronounced religious orientation, post-colonial literature reflected the socio-economic conflict of the 20th century. The emergence of post-colonialism novels is a consequence of the collapse of significant empires on a global scale. As a result, people who once were administratively and culturally subordinate gained freedom and began to express themselves. One such cultural post-colonial product was the genre of travelogues telling readers about the journeys of the narrator. This essay will discuss the phenomenon of travel literature from the perspective of the post-colonial time and provide the author’s opinion on this issue.
The world’s geopolitical history has perfectly preserved the imprints of imperialism, which was promoted by several states: the Ottoman and the Russian Empires, and, in particular, the British Empire. The last one had a tremendous influence on almost all continents, which affected the culture of subordinate ethnic groups (Edwards, 2018). There is no doubt that British colonialism has left its indelible mark on the literature of the former colonies, nevertheless, this work focuses on post-colonial influences. Post-imperial writers travel through territories formerly under control and document episodes and cultural elements that reflect reality. Ultimately, by forming an entire picture from an individual author’s notes, researchers approach the understanding of general trends in post-colonial cultural life.
Until recently, the genre of travel literature was hardly considered a full-fledged destination and instead played an entertaining role for readers wishing to distract themselves from everyday concerns. In the works of this direction, there was a frequent change of scenery around, and the character, who most often was the author, traveled to different lands and told about the peculiarities of everyday life, typical for the area. The highest value for the reader was the personal growth of the storyteller, experiencing emotional turmoil and conflicts that eventually led them to the climax. Such views were typical of early post-colonial literature on travel, as reflected, for example, in the Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. In a modernist adventure story, sailor Marlow explores the world of wild Africa, and readers observe the evolution of the character’s thoughts and views through the obstacles he encounters (Conrad, 2016). The key point of the story is the meeting of a sailor with Mr. Kurtz, who is completely confused about his personality, where there is a constant conflict between his native cultural code and an alien.
It was the phenomenon of character development that played an essential role in the emergence of analytical researches of travelogue, as such questions reveal a correlation with the self-identity relevant to the inhabitants of former colonies. There are two ways in which the culture of post-colonial populations could have followed. On the one hand, literature may have absorbed elements of the metropole and lost its identity, which is especially actual for countries that have been under control for too long. On the other hand, the texts could reflect the integration between traditional ethnic values and features of imperialist views (Clarke, 2018). The combination of the two different worlds is displayed in the fact that the books’ central figures tend to be in a constant state of struggle within their personalities, seeking to choose between historical roots and a country that has become an integral part of their lives.
Perhaps it was the second way that formed the basis of most post-colonial works, in which the ease of travel adjoins the oppressive socio-political structures of the liberated countries. This is most noticeable in the Maps by Nuruddin Farah, which tells the story of the journey of an orphan who survives through challenging times of civil war for territories whose division became relevant immediately after independence (Farah, 1999). Moreover, with the advent of new trends in post-colonialism, there was scope for creating previously unexplored cultural contexts. In particular, a woman who travels around the world, as shown in Sula, begins to act as a central figure (Abdullah, 2019). In this work, Toni Morrison demonstrates a woman’s journey through life, from birth to death. The novel’s primary theme is that Sula is in a unique position for her settlement: having seen the world of a metropole in detail, she returned to a former colonial settlement and became the key to understanding the connection between two opposing cultural environments. Her character is not like the others: she is ambivalent and exceptional. More importantly, such people tend to be unable to find their place in either the home or the former metropole.
Post-colonialism breathed new life into the world of literary travels, proclaiming travel notes historically valuable archives for an in-depth study of the social life of the former subordinate people. There is no point in discussing the rigidity or legitimacy of imperialist forces, but instead focusing on the effect of the political liberation of territories. It is worth saying that I am deeply convinced that certain advantages can easily be found in such cultural combinations and integrations. In particular, new directions and currents are formed at the border of the two environments, which absorb elements of the repressed and influential worlds (Chowdhary, 2017). The post-colonial novel deals with a tangible blow to the concept of cultural Eurocentrism by expanding the literature. This is realized through the introduction of cultural norms and traditions previously closed to the European reader. In turn, this effect has an incredible impact on readers belonging to empires: they can reflect and appreciate themselves from outside by reading a travelogue written by a colonist.
In addition, I am sure that travel literature should not be viewed in the light of entertaining or even fictional stories. Indeed, over time, new socio-political and cultural trends will emerge that will somehow shed light on already known post-colonial novels. Moreover, the colonial world’s phenomenon is likely to be irrelevant and outdated for the next generations, but the preserved travelogues will help preserve the historical significance of the past of the developed countries today.
In conclusion, it should be noted that the genre of literary travel has gained incredible popularity in the scientific community, as it allows us to observe the hybridity between the original colonial culture and the influence of the former metropoles. As soon as independence was declared, the colonists were opened up to the world and told their stories. Their travel notes reflect not only travelers’ exploration of new lands, but also the views that prevailed in the former colonies. Often such stories were based on social and economic conflict expressed in the hostile views of the once subordinate population towards the empire. One way or another, as time goes on, post-colonial literature will be studied more deeply, and new details will be discovered in books, which will eventually remain a legacy for future generations.
References
- Abdullah, N. A. (2019). The theme of gender in Toni Morrison’s the Bluest Eyes and Sula. Journal Of Al-Frahedis Arts, 1(37), 540-557.
- Chowdhary, R. (2017). Narratives of cosmopolitanism and hybridity. Postcolonial Studies, 20(1), 262-264.
- Clarke, R. (2018). Toward a genealogy of postcolonial travel writing. In R. Clarke (Eds.), The Cambridge companion to postcolonial travel writing (pp. 1-16). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press
- Conrad, J. (2016). Heart of Darkness. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.
- Edwards, J. D. (2018). Postcolonial travel writing and postcolonial theory[PDF document]. Web.
- Farah, N. (1999). Maps. New York, NY: Arcade Publishing.