Exotic Representation of Africa in H. Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines

Abstract

The present research work basically focuses on the exotic representation of Africa in the novel King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard. The author represents Africa as a place of exotic landscape and its inhabitants as untamed savage. Focusing on this theme he has presented the African landscape having extreme climate and rugged topographical features. His native character ‘Gagool’ has lived for hundred of years and possesses the power of black magic.Another character ‘Twala’,the one-eyed King of Kukuanal and is portrayed as wild and irrational creature, who rules his people without any sense of good governance and sacrifices hundreds of people in the name of God. Presenting Africa as an exotic land, Haggard shows the Africans in need of Europeans to move them on the path of civilization.