ARCHAEOLOGICAL, ARCHITECTURAL AND VEGETAL METAPHORS OF POSTCOLONIAL BRITISH IDENTITY IN V. S. NAIPAUL’S THE ENIGMA OF ARRIVAL
V. S. Naipaul’s The Enigma of Arrival is a classic postcolonial autobiography, mapping out the geographical and cultural journey of the postcolonial migrant towards the mythologized centre of civilization, the imperial metropolis. In his Wordsworthian contemplation of rural England as a utopian site...
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Editura Muzeul National al Literaturii Romane
2012-11-01
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Online Access: | http://www.diversite.eu/pdf/09_2/DICE_09.2_Full_Text_p61-p76-Angela-STANESCU.pdf |
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doaj-cf363f2736c84a0ab6e6075954cf7c762020-11-24T23:19:28ZdeuEditura Muzeul National al Literaturii RomaneDiversitate si Identitate Culturala in Europa2067-09312012-11-019/220126176ARCHAEOLOGICAL, ARCHITECTURAL AND VEGETAL METAPHORS OF POSTCOLONIAL BRITISH IDENTITY IN V. S. NAIPAUL’S THE ENIGMA OF ARRIVALDr. Angela STĂNESCU0Valahia University of TârgovişteV. S. Naipaul’s The Enigma of Arrival is a classic postcolonial autobiography, mapping out the geographical and cultural journey of the postcolonial migrant towards the mythologized centre of civilization, the imperial metropolis. In his Wordsworthian contemplation of rural England as a utopian site of natural, historical and cultural ‘piety’, Naipaul retraces the inscriptions of a teleological myth of Englishness underlying the grand historical narrative of the Empire and the utopian imagination of the colonial subject’s mindscape. The present paper examines Naipaul’s deployment of the symbolical valences of English archaeological sites, of architectural and garden landscapes in rewriting his own, as well as Britain’s, postcolonial identity. The analysis highlights the historical and ideological significations of the consistent architectural and vegetal conceits of imperial glory and decay, informing this highly poeticised enactment of the colonial migrant’s repositioning in the changing cultural landscape of post-imperial Britain.http://www.diversite.eu/pdf/09_2/DICE_09.2_Full_Text_p61-p76-Angela-STANESCU.pdfPostcolonialmigrationcultural identityhibriditymulticulturalism |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
deu |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Dr. Angela STĂNESCU |
spellingShingle |
Dr. Angela STĂNESCU ARCHAEOLOGICAL, ARCHITECTURAL AND VEGETAL METAPHORS OF POSTCOLONIAL BRITISH IDENTITY IN V. S. NAIPAUL’S THE ENIGMA OF ARRIVAL Diversitate si Identitate Culturala in Europa Postcolonial migration cultural identity hibridity multiculturalism |
author_facet |
Dr. Angela STĂNESCU |
author_sort |
Dr. Angela STĂNESCU |
title |
ARCHAEOLOGICAL, ARCHITECTURAL AND VEGETAL METAPHORS OF POSTCOLONIAL BRITISH IDENTITY IN V. S. NAIPAUL’S THE ENIGMA OF ARRIVAL |
title_short |
ARCHAEOLOGICAL, ARCHITECTURAL AND VEGETAL METAPHORS OF POSTCOLONIAL BRITISH IDENTITY IN V. S. NAIPAUL’S THE ENIGMA OF ARRIVAL |
title_full |
ARCHAEOLOGICAL, ARCHITECTURAL AND VEGETAL METAPHORS OF POSTCOLONIAL BRITISH IDENTITY IN V. S. NAIPAUL’S THE ENIGMA OF ARRIVAL |
title_fullStr |
ARCHAEOLOGICAL, ARCHITECTURAL AND VEGETAL METAPHORS OF POSTCOLONIAL BRITISH IDENTITY IN V. S. NAIPAUL’S THE ENIGMA OF ARRIVAL |
title_full_unstemmed |
ARCHAEOLOGICAL, ARCHITECTURAL AND VEGETAL METAPHORS OF POSTCOLONIAL BRITISH IDENTITY IN V. S. NAIPAUL’S THE ENIGMA OF ARRIVAL |
title_sort |
archaeological, architectural and vegetal metaphors of postcolonial british identity in v. s. naipaul’s the enigma of arrival |
publisher |
Editura Muzeul National al Literaturii Romane |
series |
Diversitate si Identitate Culturala in Europa |
issn |
2067-0931 |
publishDate |
2012-11-01 |
description |
V. S. Naipaul’s The Enigma of Arrival is a classic postcolonial autobiography, mapping out the geographical and cultural journey of the postcolonial migrant towards the mythologized centre of civilization, the imperial metropolis. In his Wordsworthian contemplation of rural England as a utopian site of natural, historical and cultural ‘piety’, Naipaul retraces the inscriptions of a teleological myth of Englishness underlying the grand historical narrative of the Empire and the utopian imagination of the colonial subject’s mindscape. The present paper examines Naipaul’s deployment of the symbolical valences of English archaeological sites, of architectural and garden landscapes in rewriting his own, as well as Britain’s, postcolonial identity. The analysis highlights the historical and ideological significations of the consistent architectural and vegetal conceits of imperial glory and decay, informing this highly poeticised enactment of the colonial migrant’s repositioning in the changing cultural landscape of post-imperial Britain. |
topic |
Postcolonial migration cultural identity hibridity multiculturalism |
url |
http://www.diversite.eu/pdf/09_2/DICE_09.2_Full_Text_p61-p76-Angela-STANESCU.pdf |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT drangelastanescu archaeologicalarchitecturalandvegetalmetaphorsofpostcolonialbritishidentityinvsnaipaulstheenigmaofarrival |
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