Imperial Masochism: British Fiction, Fantasy, and Social Class
By John Kucich (NHC Fellow, 2002–03) British imperialism’s favorite literary narrative might seem to be conquest. But real British conquests also generated a surprising cultural obsession with suffering, sacrifice, defeat, and melancholia. “There was,” writes John Kucich, “seemingly a different crucifixion scene marking the historical gateway to each colonial theater.” In Imperial Masochism, Kucich reveals the … Continued