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Title Poststructuralist and Postcolonial Analysis of the Myth of Objectivity of Anglo-American Literary Tradition

Author(s) Muhammad Asif

Abstract Anglo-American Literary Tradition is humanist, mimetic, teleological and canonical. Humanism manifests itself in its emphasis on individual as a unified entity and a rational being and culminates in valorizing the author and the reader. Mimesis signifies representation, depiction, presentation, realism, correspondence, and resemblance. Mimetic view of language suggests that language describes and represents reality objectively. Anglo-American Literary Tradition is canonical. Shakespeare is presented as the centre of Western literary canon and is considered as indispensable to the western culture as Christ is to Christianity. Teleology reflects itself in the concern among the western critics and authors for the maintenance of form of literature and its role in life. The objectivity of Anglo-American Literary Tradition implies that it is neutral, impersonal and universal. Poststructuralism challenges and subverts the traditional concepts of language, author, text, meaning and reading practices. It exposes the western culture to be phonocentric, phallocentric and logocentric. Postmodernism denies all claims to objectivity, universality and teleology. It denies all truth claims and privileges hyper-reality. Postcolonial criticism exposes western art and literature to be complicit in the colonization project. The postcolonial critics show how the myths of universality and objectivity were enlisted in projecting western culture and ideology through art and literature in the once colonized world. Shakespeare was imposed on the colonized people as a source of universal values. His works were projected as embodying human nature. Shakespeare was enrolled in the colonization project for his valorizing western race and culture and condemnation of people of other cultures and religions. Presence of racist and colonial content in his work has seriously dented his reputation as champion of humanity. The critics from the postcolonial world are taking Shakespeare to task for his involvement in race politics.

Type Thesis/Dissertation PhD

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Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2015-01-01

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