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Widely read in the age of British imperialism and still popular today, the five writers studied here have allowed millions to participate vicariously in the imperial project. Yet all of these writers, so instrumental in popularising the imperial agenda of power and dominance, bore deep emotional scars and as adults bolstered their fragile psychic states through fantasies of empire. While soldiers and politicians may know to bury or at least camouflage their fears and desires, inner fantasy is the necessary ingredient of literature, and popular fiction often offers the opportunity to probe the mind of an age. The connection between childhood loss and the desire for imperial escape, power and dominance is illuminated by De Quincey's mad screeds against the Chinese as both terrifyingly powerful and laughably weak, while Stevenson's romances, though written from an invalid's bed, are credited with 'selling' the idea of empire as manly adventure. Conan Doyle's tales of a Britain menaced at home by imperial blow back are models of Great Power paranoia that resonate today, and Kipling's stories of imperial Britain grow increasingly grandiose as childhood's psychic wounds are re-opened.Finally, Dinesen portrays plantation life in British East Africa as a gentle romance in which displaced African "squatters" serve as loyal and adoring retainers, providing the aristocratic aura for which the author yearns. It is sometimes said that, "Love's loss is empire's gain", and for these writers, Simmons shows, empire presented a magnificent opportunity to compensate for childhood calamity. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Scandinavian Studies, published by Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study on December 22, 2002. The length of the article is 953 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Susan C. Brantly. Understanding Isak Dinesen.(Book Review)
Author: Ellen Rees
Publication: Scandinavian Studies (Refereed)
Date: December 22, 2002
Publisher: Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
Volume: 74Issue: 4Page: 548(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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[Use corrected copy on S95 seasonal subdirectory]

Parallax: Re-visions of Culture and Society.

Stephen G. Nichols, Gerald Prince, and Wendy Steiner, Series Editors.

Customer Reviews (1)

Ralph Iron and Titania
Critical works on Dinesen and Schreiner, individually,are few and far inbetween. This book which looks at both authors is some sort of agem.

Although not necessarily very reader-friendly, it neverthelessexamines a relationship between the two authors that has beenobvious.

Definitely an interesting read for those in Schreiner andDinesen research. For the layman who is interested in the authors, it canalso be rather enlightening. ... Read more

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341 pages ... Read more

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Listen to a sparkling anthology that reveals Isak Dinesen's passion and spirit. This collection includes the audio version of Out of Africa, read by Julie Harris, a bestselling work in print. Actress Colleen Dewhurst performs "Babette's Feast," and Dinesen herself reads "The King's Letter" and "The Wine of the Tetrarch" from her only known recording. Translated to film, Out of Africa and "Babette's Feast" won Academy Awards. 6 cassettes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wonderful Narration of great stories... Dewhurst fans will love Babette's Feast
Though I have not yet heard Isak Dinesen's own voice reading Lucifer's Tale, nor Out of Africa read by Julie Harris, I do own Ms. Colleen Dewhurst reading Babette's Feast.If you're a fan of the late Ms. Dewhurst like I am, you will thouroughly enjoy hearing her read this old-world story of a great chef of Paris who finds herself in a little out-of-the way town in Norway, and who is re-discovered for her great cullinary talents quite by accident.A delightful tale of redemption and affirmation from a time when life's pleasures seemed to have more meaning and were appreciated more than in today's world of instant gratification.

Ms. Dewhurst's unique, deep, "whiskey-and-cigarettes" voiced narration is a pleasure to listen to - a perfect accompanyment to Dinesen's "Feast."I've listened to this book on tape dozens of times and never grow tired of it.If you're like me, it is a recording you will count as one of your most treasured posessions and will replay again and again over many years.

lovely voices
This is a must for Dinesen fans as well as those who find Collen Dewhurst and Julie Harris ladies who can read with a soothing cadence and sound...hearing the author is a plus since I could have only imagined her sound...Meryl Streep captured her rhythm in Out of Africa very well
This woman was so ahead of her time and led a tremendous life and yet didn't get it all...she is a real story teller... of old times before TV and computers...entertainment full of creativity and imagination...you won't be disappointed! ... Read more

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Works that inspired two Academy Award-winning films, these readings include Out of Africa, Babette's Feast and Isak Dinesen Herself. 5 cassettes. ... Read more

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