What is the Difference Between Colonial and Post Colonial Literature?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between colonial and postcolonial literature lies in the time period they were written and the perspectives they represent.
Colonial Literature:
- Written during the period of colonization.
- Deals with the themes of personal adventures, discoveries, and religious evangelism.
- Represents the perspective of the colonizers.
- Examples include literature written by European colonizers in North America, Australia, and Africa.
Postcolonial Literature:
- Written after the period of colonization, spanning from the colonization period to the decolonization period.
- Emphasizes the consequences of colonization.
- Represents the perspective of the colonized people, often challenging and resisting colonial perspectives.
- Examples include works by Chinua Achebe, Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o.
In summary, colonial literature is written written during the period of colonization and represents the perspective of the colonizers, while postcolonial literature is written after the period of colonization and represents the perspective of the colonized people, often challenging and resisting colonial perspectives.
Comparative Table: Colonial vs Post Colonial Literature
Here is a table outlining the key differences between colonial and postcolonial literature:
| Feature | Colonial Literature | Postcolonial Literature |
|---|---|---|
| Perspective | Written from the standpoint of colonizers | Written from the perspective of the colonized or former colonized people |
| Themes | Focuses on themes such as adventure, exploration, and the colonizers' culture | Deals with the themes of independence, patriotism, and criticizing colonizers' activities |
| Portrayal | Portrays colonization as a natural, unproblematic, often 'correct' process | Highlights the problems and consequences of colonization and decolonization |
| Indigenous People & Culture | Often depicts indigenous people and culture from a Eurocentric point of view | Draws an empathetic image of the colonized people and their struggle towards independence |
| Writers | Mainly written by colonizers themselves | Often written by both colonizers and colonized people as a response to the colonizers |
| Time Period | Written during the colonial period | Written after the colonial period, often taking shape in the late 1970s - 1980s |
In summary, colonial literature represents the viewpoint of the colonizers and often portrays colonization as a natural and unproblematic process. In contrast, postcolonial literature is written from the perspective of the colonized people, focusing on themes such as independence and criticizing the colonizers' activities, while also highlighting the consequences of colonization and decolonization.
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