Rozbor vybraných britských antikoloniálních literárních děl

This diploma thesis deals with analysing selected British anti-colonial fiction applying the theory of the renowned British literary critic Edward W. Said. It introduces Said´s theory of the motif of colonialism in different types of art work as the basic statement, as well as Said´s concept of ´the empire´, and these concepts will later on be applied onto individual literary works. They include the novella in a journal form Journal of a West India Proprietor by Matthew Gregory Lewis, a fable "How the Camel Got His Humph" from Just So Stories, and a poem "Gunga Din" from the collection Gunga Din and other Favorite Poems by Rudyard Kipling. My analysis will also include the novel A Passage to India by E.M. Forster, two novellas Lord Jim and Heart of Darkness and a short story "An Outpost of Progress" by Joseph Conrad, and a short story called "The Force of Circumstance" by Somerset Maugham. The main phenomena that will be analysed in this thesis are British racism towards the native people, cultural differences and misunderstandings, British superiority (very often also linked to certain naivety) over the native people. Analysing all these factors, I will strive to emphasize the authors´ artistic intentions and efforts to point them out as serious social problems. Applying the theory of Edward Said, I will support and develop my arguments