IMPERIALISM AND COLONIALISM IN ENGLISH LITERATURE FROM 16TH TO 20TH CENTURY

Colonization is control of power over a dependent area of people. To rule others or to conquer others has been a general episode in the history of Civilization. Modern colonization started in the age of Geographical Discovery.  In the modern era it was initiated by Portugal and Spain and the other European powers like England, the Netherlands, France, and Germany followed the trend. They justified colonization on the ground of civilizing the barbaric nations. However, decolonization began around 1914 and it challenged colonial empires till 1975. The idea of colonialism is related to that of the imperialism that involves a set of attitudes using power and influence to control another nation .Imperialism is economic and political domination of one country over another. Imperial powers do not like to settle permanently; they are concerned with political power only, whereas in colonialism the colonisers settle in a conquered country permanently and they penetrate into their culture, very often the culture of the indigenous people cannot be retained.This paper is not to discuss imperialism or colonialism but reflection of colonialism and imperialism in some well-known texts of English literature.  The chosen texts are Shakespeare's 'The Tempest',Mrs.Aphra Behn's 'Oroonoko' or 'The Royal Slave' Daniel Defoe's 'Robinson Crusoe' Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness',Aime Ceasire's 'A Tempest' to name only a few.

KeyWords: Colony, colonialism, civilization, scramble, barbaric, white men, slave trade, savage greed,