The Ambivalence of “Exceptional (Colonial) Circumstances” in Leonard Woolf’s “Pearls and Swine” (1921)
Leonard Woolf’s short story “Pearls and Swine” is mainly known for its anti-colonial position. However, I believe that the story, far from indicating the writer’s adherence or lack of adherence to the imperial ideology, reflects his ambivalent position towards the British Empire. As I argue, the amb...
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| I publikationen: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/pla, |
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| Huvudupphovsman: | |
| Materialtyp: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Språk: | Anglais |
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Postcolonial Literatures and Arts
2025
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| Länkar: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Sammanfattning: | Leonard Woolf’s short story “Pearls and Swine” is mainly known for its anti-colonial position. However, I believe that the story, far from indicating the writer’s adherence or lack of adherence to the imperial ideology, reflects his ambivalent position towards the British Empire. As I argue, the ambivalence inscribed in the story originates in Woolf’s intention to analyze his colonial past and to lay bare the lies and false promises of imperialism. Drawing on Homi Bhabha’s analysis of colonial discourse and Edward Said’s theories of Orientalism, this paper aims to shed some light on Woolf’s choice of “exceptional circumstances” as well as on his ambiguous narrative approach in “Pearls and Swine.” |
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