Literature and Nation Britain and India 1800-1990

Literature and Nation disects the relationship between Britain and India from 1800 to 1900, using key literary and historical texts. Books from "Kim" to "Mansfield Park" and "Midnight's Children" are used in conjunction with primary source material to better understand the complicated cultural encounters that occurred between the two countries. Chapters range from "First Cultural Encounters" to "Poetry and Nation" to "Nostalgia and Disillusion." With comprehensive introductions to the sections by the editors, this book is a necessary addition to Post-colonial studies.

Perhaps no two nations in modern times have had a more complex cultural engagement than imperial Britain and colonised India. This unique anthology of stories, poems, historical documents and extracts from novels - most unavailable elsewhere - enables readers to examine the cultures of these two countries in an integrated way. Introductory chapters by Richard Allen and Harish Trivedi and others set out agendas for reconsideration of classic texts from the period. Major themes include:The British nation and the coloniesLiterature, nation and revolutionPoetry and nationLiberal dilemmas in England and IndiaGandhian nationalismIndependence and afterPost-colonial hybridityLiterature and Nation helps readers understand how critical thinking in the post-colonial area has developed. It also extends the field of post-colonial studies by presenting fresh primary materials translated into English from other languages. It is essential reading for all those interested in Britain and India, in colonial and post-colonial discourse, and in the interface of literature and history.

Richard Allen is a Senior Lecturer in Literature at The Open University, Harish Trivedi is Professor of English at the University of Delhi.