Genre and Mode in Postimperial British Literature

Postimperial Romances of the Archive

• Introduction
• The Romance of the Archive: Some Examples
• Postimperial Decline, the Romance of the Archive, and the Recovered past
• History, Heritage, and Secondary School National Curriculum in the United Kingdom, 1970-2000
• The Postimperial British Debate over History versus Heritage
• The Romance of the Archive vs the Academic Novel

Fiction set in the period from WW II to the Present

• Penelope Lively, Moon Tiger
• Katzuo Ishiguru, The Remains of the Day
• Graham Swift, Last Orders
• Graham Swift, Shuttlecock
• Graham Swift, Waterland

Historical Fiction

• A. S. Byatt, Angels and Insects
• A. S. Byatt, Posesssion
• Bruce Chatwin, The Viceroy of Ouidah
• Jane Gardam, Crusoe's Daughter
• Timothy Mo, An Insular Possession

Fiction set in country of author's ethnic origins

• Timothy Mo, The Monkey King
• Katzuo Ishiguru, An Artist of the Floating World
• Salman Rushdie, Shame

Immigrant Fiction: the experience of newcomers, border crossers, hybrids

• Hanif Kureishi, The Buddha of Suburbia
• Timothy Mo, Sour Sweet
• Salman Rushdie, Shame
• "A State of Perpetual Wandering": Diaspora and Black British Writers

Magical Realism, Fantastic, or Grotesque Modes

• Salman Rushdie, Shame
• Salman Rushdie,Midnight's Children
• Katzuo Ishiguru, The Unconsoled
• Jan Morris, Last Letters from Hav
• Ben Okri, The Famished Road

Postimperial Travel Writing

• Bruce Chatwin, In Patagonia
• Jan Morris, Last Letters from Hav
• Jonathan Raban, Coasting

Last Modified: 27 February 2002

Thanks to Hanne Kjaergaard of Denmark for e-mailing us about a non-functioning link.