The Myth of Africa

From the sixteenth century on, British involvement in Africa was reflected in an immense volume of writing. Inherent in this British literature--ranging from works of great literary merit to sheer trash--was a remarkable consistency in its inaccurate depiction of Africa and its people, mirrored in literary responses to the slave trade, the acquisition and subsequent loss of an empire, and the rise of independent Africa. But throughout four centuries, the literature centered upon one main theme: the confrontation between civilized Britain and savage Africa. Through a retrospective analysis, The Myth of Africa demonstrates that the literary image of Africa is a fantasy of a continent and a people that never were and could never be.