Anxieties of the British Empire Reflected in the British Novels in Late -19th Century to Early 20th Century

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Focusing on a period during the decline of the British Empire, this three year study attempted to examine how the anxieties of the Empire were reflected in the British novels of the same period. Close readings of works chiefly written between the late 19th century and the 20th century led to a revelation that the Empire's anxieties of the period were being expressed in the identity crises of many of the fictional characters of that period. Male characters repeatedly presented by Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling are typical examples. Their characters often suffered from a conflict between an expected outer masculine self and an anti-masculine inner self. The conflict led them to identity crises which often resulted in self-destruction.