Images of India in British Fiction: Anglo-India vs. the Metropolis (Europäische Hochschulschriften / European University Studies / Publications Universitaires Européennes)

This book investigates how India was portrayed in British novels and short stories during the heyday of the British Raj. In the tradition of post-colonial studies such as Edward Said's Orientalism, it will be considered in how far fiction by Rudyard Kipling and other writers supported the institution of the Raj by establishing and spreading certain ideas about the Indian sub-continent and the Indian people. In addition, Said's claims concerning the consistency of what he labels Orientalist discourse will be challenged to a certain degree, as British authors who lived in India are more likely to present an image of the country that is at least partly more detailed and nuanced than portrayals of the Indian scene created by writers who never saw the sub-continent. Cover 1 Contents 7 1. Introduction 11 2. Theoretical Background 17 2.1 Definitions of ‘Orientalism’ 17 2.2 Said’s Predecessors 19 2.3 The Role of Fiction in Orientalist Discourse 23 2.4 The Image of India in British Fiction - Criticism 24 3. The Traditional Image of India 31 4. The Image of India in Anglo-Indian Fiction 41 4.1 A Feeling of Melancholy 52 4.2 Physical India 56 4.3 Psychological Challenges 69 4.4 The Anglo-Indian Self-Image 84 4.5 The Christian Mission 115 4.6 Indians in Anglo-Indian Fiction 119 4.7 Different Groups of ‘Natives’ 125 4.8 ‘Native’ Stock Characters 139 4.9 Indians ‘in General’ 150 4.10 Britons and Indians 178 4.11 The Political Struggle 202 4.12 The Benefits of British Rule 232 5. The Image of India in Metropolitan Fiction 239 5.1 A Feeling of Melancholy 241 5.2 Physical India 243 5.3 Psychological Challenges 250 5.4 The Image of the Anglo-Indian Community 256 5.5 The Christian Mission 279 5.6 Indians in Metropolitan Fiction 283 5.7 Different Groups of ‘Natives’ 285 5.8 ‘Native’ Stock Characters 290 5.9 Indians ‘in General’ 296 5.10 Britons and Indians 315 5.11 The Political Struggle 322 5.12 The Benefits of British Rule 332 6. Conclusion 337 7. Appendix - Summaries 341 7.1 Afghan: "Exploits of Asaf Khan" (1922) 341 7.2 Arnold, W. D.: "Oakfield; or, Fellowship in the East" (1854) 341 7.3 Candler, Edmund: "Siri Ram - Revolutionist: A Transcript from Life 1907–1910" (1912) 342 7.4 Croker, B. M.: "In Old Madras" (1913) 343 7.5 Diver, "Maud: Captain Desmond, V.C." (1913) 344 7.6 Forrest, R. E.: "Eight Days" (1891) 345 7.7 Hockley, W. B.: "The English in India" (1828) 346 7.8 Horne, M. J.: "The Adventures of Naufragus" (1827) 346 7.9 Kaye, J. W.: "Long Engagements; a Tale of the Affghan Rebellion" (1846) 347 7.10 Lang, John: "Will He Marry Her?" (1858) 347 7.11 Mason, Philip: "The Wild Sweet Witch" (1947) 348 7.12 Money, Edward: "The Wife and the Ward" (1859) 349 7.13 Perrin, Alice: "Government House" (1925) 350 7.14 Sherwood, Mary Martha: "Little Henry and His Bearer Boosy" (1815) 351 7.15 Steel, Flora Annie: "On the Face of the Waters" (1896) 352 7.16 Taylor, Meadows: "Seeta" (1881) 353 7.17 Weston, Christine: "Indigo" (1943) 354 7.18 Wren, Percival Christopher: "Driftwood Spars" (1912) 355 7.19 Yeats-Brown, F.: "Bengal Lancer" (1930) 356 7.20 Dell, Ethel M.: "The Way of an Eagle" (1912) 356 7.21 Fenn, George Manville: "Begumbagh: A Tale of the Indian Mutiny" (1893) 357 7.22 Grant, James: "First Love and Last Love: A Tale of the Indian Mutiny" (1868) 358 7.23 Grier, Sydney: "Like Another Helen" (1899) 359 7.24 Grier, Sydney: "The Advanced Guard" (1903) 360 7.25 Kingsley, Henry: "Stretton" (1869) 361 7.26 Kingston, W. H. G.: "The Young Rajah" (1876) 361 7.27 Lawrence, George Alfred: "Maurice Dering; or, the Quadrilateral" (1864) 362 7.28 Yonge, Charlotte M.: "The Young Step-Mother" (1905) 363 8. Glossary of Anglo-Indian Words 365 9. Works Cited 367 9.1 Anglo-Indian Fiction 367 9.2 Metropolitan Fiction, Poetry, and Drama 370 9.3 Criticism 372 9.4 General 375 Investigates how India was portrayed in British novels and short stories during the heyday of the British Raj. This book investigates how India was portrayed in British novels and short stories during the heyday of the British Raj. In the tradition of post-colonial studies such as Edward Said's Orientalism, it will be considered in how far fiction by Rudyard Kipling and other writers supported the institution of the Raj by establishing and spreading certain ideas about the Indian sub-continent and the Indian people. In addition, Said's claims concerning the consistency of what he labels Orientalist discourse will be challenged to a certain degree, as British authors who lived in India are more likely to present an image of the country that is at least partly more detailed and nuanced than portrayals of the Indian scene created by writers who never saw the sub-continent This study investigates possible differences between fictional portrayals of the British Raj by Anglo-Indian authors who lived in the colony and writers who never saw the country. In an attempt to challenge Said's assumptions outlined in Orientalism, the results of the comparison will be used to discuss how consistent the colonial discourse was. Introduction -- Theoretcial background -- The traditional image of India -- The image of India in Anglo-Indian fiction -- The image of India in metropolitan fiction -- Conclusion