[en] It is tempting to argue that, in A Distant Shore, Caryl Phillips entrusts a black gentleman with the mission to civilize uncouth English people. My contention, however, is to try and show the extent to which the text itself undermines the very idea that decency is a safeguard against savagery.
If immigration indeed reveals English people’s inner darkness, it is also the case that the mask of good manners worn by Solomon or Dorothy gradually falls apart. In the end, dignified behaviour, once defined by Dorothy as essential to the distinction between human beings and animals, is exposed as a mere civilized pretence.
Research center :
CEREP - Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherche en Études Postcoloniales - ULiège
Disciplines :
Literature
Author, co-author :
Gabrielle, Cindy ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des langues et littératures modernes > Littérature anglaise moderne et littérature américaine
Language :
English
Title :
The Civilized Pretence: Caryl Phillips and A Distant Shore
Publication date :
2012
Main work title :
Caryl Phillips: Writing in the Key of Life
Editor :
Ledent, Bénédicte ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de langues modernes : linguistique, littérature et traduction
Tunca, Daria ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de langues modernes : linguistique, littérature et traduction > Littérature anglaise
Publisher :
Rodopi, Amsterdam, Netherlands
ISBN/EAN :
978-90-420-3455-6
Collection name :
Cross/Cultures: Readings in the Post/Colonial Literatures in English 146
