A LOST LADY: A NARRATIVE OF "MANIFEST DESTINY" AND NEOCOLONIALISM
Vol.6, Issue 1, 2020, pp. 111-126 Full text
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33919/esnbu.20.1.5
Web of Science: 000569121600007
Author:
Ammar Aqeeli https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2019-3527
Affiliation: Jazan University, Gizan, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
The greatly examined story of A Lost Lady usually depicts Mrs. Forrester's success in meeting and adapting to the challenges of a changing world, a world characterized by materialism and self-fulfilment. However, the overlooked story, one far more disturbing than the privileged story in the text, is the narrative of oppressed groups of people of other races and the lower class. Drawing on some aspects of postcolonial theory, this paper explores Willa Cather's own reactions to real changes in her society, to the waning power of imperialism, and of her nostalgic longing for the western prairies of her youth, without showing any sympathy for the dispossessed Native Americans and other oppressed races. It will also disclose the unmistakable colonial overtones, which remarkably resonate with the common discourse of "Manifest Destiny" during the time period of American expansion to the Wild West.
Keywords: Colonialism, Imperialism, Manifest Destiny, Neocolonialism, Postcolonialism
Article history:
Submitted: 6 January 2020;
Reviewed: 21 January 2020;
Revised: 1 February 2020;
Accepted: 6 April 2020;
Published: 30 June 2020
Citation (APA):
Aqeeli, A. (2020). A Lost Lady: A Narrative of "Manifest Destiny" and Neocolonialism. English Studies at NBU, 6(1), 111-126. https://doi.org/10.33919/esnbu.20.1.5
Copyright © 2020 Ammar Aqeeli
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Handling Editor: Stan Bogdanov
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