Colonialism in Victorian English Literature Criticism
The Victorian era in English literature was deeply intertwined with the period's colonial expansion, reflecting the pervasive influence of British imperialism both directly and indirectly. This era saw an unprecedented expansion of the British Empire, a context that significantly shaped the literary landscape. Authors like H. Rider Haggard, Rudyard Kipling, and Joseph Conrad exemplified this in their works, such as Haggard's She and Kipling’s Kim, which often set their narratives in distant colonies and portrayed them as exotic and adventurous landscapes. In doing so, these works not only used colonial settings as backdrops for their stories but also propagated the colonial ideology that justified British imperialism, as noted by Martin Green.
Furthermore, as explored in The Happy Years, even domestic novels by writers like Jane Austen and Charlotte Brönte are imbued with colonial themes, reflecting the era's societal norms and the British public's engagement with empire. Novels such as Mansfield Park and Jane Eyre incorporate colonial elements to depict societal structures and the "white man's burden" ideology prevalent at the time.
Postcolonial criticism, emerging more prominently in the late twentieth century, further examines these themes. Edward Said's concept of "Orientalism" highlights how colonial literature constructed the "other" for ideological control, critiquing works like Conrad’s Heart of Darkness for their complex, yet ultimately complicit, portrayals of imperialism. Critics like Gayatri Spivak and Jenny Sharpe analyze the intersection of colonialism with class and gender issues, exploring how these dynamics influenced and were reflected in Victorian literature. Patrick Brantlinger discusses the "imperial gothic" genre as a reflection of the anxieties surrounding the decline of British imperialism, while Thomas Richards notes the era's scientific emphasis on morphology in literature and its connections to imperialism.
Overall, Victorian literature serves as a rich field for examining the ideological underpinnings of British colonialism, highlighting the intertwined nature of literary production and imperial ideology during the nineteenth century.
Contents
- Representative Works
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Overviews
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The Happy Years
(summary)
In the following essay, Susanne Howe explores the portrayal of British men and women in Victorian novels set in India, emphasizing the roles of women, younger sons, missionaries, and Anglo-Indians, and examining how these narratives reflect broader themes of empire, colonial attitudes, and societal norms of the time.
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Martin Green
(summary)
In the following essay, Martin Green examines how popular nineteenth-century boys' fiction portrayed heroism through figures like engineers and adventurers, highlighting the cultural impact and moral values emphasized in works by authors like Samuel Smiles, ultimately reflecting Victorian aspirations tied to the colonial and modern world.
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Problematic Presence: The Colonial Other in Kipling and Conrad
(summary)
In the following essay, McClure compares Kipling and Conrad to explore the conflicting racist and anti-imperialism discourses that inform their fictional works.
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The Happy Years
(summary)
- Colonialism And Gender
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Monsters And The Occult
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Patrick Brantlinger
(summary)
In the following essay, Brantlinger examines the "imperial gothic" genre, suggesting it reflects anxieties about the decline of British imperialism and the erosion of rationality through its exploration of themes such as regression, invasion, and the occult, ultimately revealing a cultural unease about civilization reverting to barbarism.
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Archive and Form
(summary)
In the following essay, Thomas Richards argues that Victorian literature's lack of monstrous figures reflects the era's scientific focus on morphology and the belief in a unified natural order, which challenged traditional notions of monstrosity and suggested a comprehensive knowledge system that aligned with imperial expansion.
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Patrick Brantlinger
(summary)
- Further Reading