This article pursues the figure of the myth of Ulysses (or Odysseus) in its refiguration as Robinson Crusoe. The heritage of the traveller figure is examined from the point of view of colonialism in Victorian England. It focuses on the representation of the traveller and the perpetuation of certain mannerisms on stage through sociocultural stereotypes. By means of Henry James Byron’s adaptation of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719), it dissects the portrayal of native characters on stage and its influence on British society. The article includes an analysis of the characters in Byron’s Robinson Crusoe or Harlequin Friday (1860), and reveals the demonization of individuals of colour in relation to imperial travellers. This piece concludes by proposing new researches in colonial attitudes as reflected in literature, especially on issues of genre and education.... [Leer más...]