Stevenson in the Pacific: A Problematic View of Cultures and Imperialisms

In Culture and Imperialism Said examines the relationship between the European cultural production and the growth and maintenance of colonial empires. The fictional sub-genre that probably most promoted imperial ideology is the adventure romance, with its triumphant view of the deeds of European pioneers. R.L. Stevenson was celebrated as one of its undisputed masters but, surprisingly, his late writings set in the South Pacific show a very critical attitude towards Western imperialism. My article will offer a postcolonial reading of some of these works, whose value has often been underestimated and which need to be seen from a new perspective.