DEHUMANIZATION OF SRI LANKANS AND SRI LANKA IN “THE VILLAGE IN THE JUNGLE” BY LEONARD WOOLF

Abstract

“The village in the Jungle” (1913) which was written by Leonard Woolf, who served as a civil servant in British Ceylon Civil Service for around seven years, cross-examines the lives of the Sri Lankans who live in a village called “Beddegama” which is being erased away by the jungle surrounding it. This novel of Woolf is considered a successful and marvelous account written on Sri Lankans and Sri Lanka. Many critics and readers believe that the perspective employed by Woolf should be highly appreciated as he depicts an authentic local point of view rather than a colonial point of view in the novel. Yet, when analyzing the novel it becomes evident that what lies underneath this text is the same stereotypical colonial perspective which dehumanizes the civilized locals. Thus, this study fills the unaddressed void and analyses how Woolf dehumanizes Sri Lankans and Sri Lanka in “The Village in the Jungle” and the analysis is done by employing the post- colonial theories.