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The Fictions of Empire

The Fictions of Empire. The Fictions of Empire Popular Literature and the Selling of Imperial Ideology. H Rider Haggard, “She” in Three Adventure Novels Bram Stoker, Dracula Kipling, Kim Edith Hull, The Sheik Ballantyne , Coral Island Golding, Lord of the Flies Conrad, Lord Jim

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The Fictions of Empire

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  1. The Fictions of Empire

  2. The Fictions of EmpirePopular Literature and the Selling of Imperial Ideology H Rider Haggard, “She” in Three Adventure Novels Bram Stoker, Dracula Kipling, Kim Edith Hull, The Sheik Ballantyne, Coral Island Golding, Lord of the Flies Conrad, Lord Jim Forester, Passage to India Sylvia Townsend Warner, Summer Will Show Fraser, Flashman Robert Louis Stevenson South Sea Tales Lawrence of Arabia Gunga Din

  3. Web Resources: www.victorianweb.org, especially http://www.victorianweb.org/history/empire/ http://www.britishempire.co.uk/index.htm http://www.britishempire.co.uk/timeline/timeline.htm The University of Florida Digital Collection, Juvenile Fiction

  4. How does a small Island of a few million control an Empire of 500 million?

  5. I. What is Imperialism? What is Colonization (v. post-colonialization)? II. Expanse of British Empire: Africa, India, East, Australia III.Beginnings: the construction of otherness. (hottentot, savages, etc…) Africa: unlike the myth of backwardness, Africa was advanced and organized: empires of Ghana (11th C), Mali (13th), Songhni (14th) 1441: First Portuguese Traders 1560: John Hawkins “brought” hundreds of people back from west Africa 1567: Queen Elizabeth invests in Hawkins (cousin of Francis Drake) 1558: Elizabeth comes to power in turbulent time. General Shift to a capitalist system with the decline of aristocracy and rise of the mercantile class (titles can be bought. This leads to the need to make fortune, a sense of adventure.) Patrilinear system 1600: East Indian Company given a grant for all trade w/the orient. Established trading ports over the century • 1600s: unsuccessful use of American Natives and Poor English and Irish as laborers in America and Carribean (sugar, tobacco, etc) Rise of Triangular Trade • 1663 the “Company of Royal Adventurers of England” established, pointing to both expansion and sanctioned slavery • 1721: Walpole becomes prime minister, implements a policy of commercial expansion 1750: as the Mughal empire disintegrated, The EIC became more involved with Indian politics, establishing Indian rulers of independent states willing to trade w/the British. Robert Clive’s, commander of the “East India Co. Army” establishes British-friendly “puppet rule.” EIC’s rule became formal in 1765 when the Mughal emperor conceded to him (Bengal)… • 1750-1800: East Indian Trading Company spreads throughout the east, Tea becomes a major trade Company run governments became increasingly involved in politics, wars, and expansion. Never condoned at home, this became the basis of a the new Britain ruled India, which, through war and skirmish, spread to Afghanistan. 1788: First convict ships arrive at Botany Bay; African Association formed to explore the interior of Africa 1857: Indian Mutinies result in the dissolution of the EIC and British rule of India. 1876: Victoria becomes Empress of India

  6. Conclusion:Imperialism is an ideology, based upon national identity, economics, commerce, religion, science, industry, technology. • Good(s) for the Empire!: • Imperialist Ideology is Bought and Sold, both at home and abroad • Examples…

  7. Conclusion:Imperialism is an ideology, based upon national identity, economics, commerce, religion, science, industry, technology. • Imperialist Ideology is Bought and Sold, both at home and abroad • Examples: The Great Exhibition of 1851

  8. Imperialism as a Commodity  superabundance • Control over chaos • 2) Imperialism as visual … and organized. • Enlightenment mindset  similar to genus / species • Darwin’s Origin of Species • 3) Race and Otherness as organized visually • “Construction of the Other” • 4) Britishness as a commodity of world improvement….

  9. The Birth of Civilization: a Message from the Sea The consumption of soap: a measure of the wealth, civilization, health and purity of the people

  10. The first step towards lightening THE WHITE MAN’S BURDEN is through teaching the virtues of cleanliness. PEARS SOAP is a potent factor in brightening the dark corners of the earth as civilization advances, while amongst the cultured of all nations it holds the highest place – it is the idea toilet soap.

  11. Imperialism as a commodity : Colonization as commercially driven • The Opium War

  12. Imperialism as a commodity : Colonization as commercially driven • The Opium War

  13. How do you “Sell Imperialism?” • The idea of a public or popular imperialism • factors such as Christian Militarism, • hero-worshipping, • public school militarism and athleticism, • and a “perverted medieval chivalry” • Cults of heroes, past and present, promoted in children’s books • Social darwinisn gave ideological justification for colonial war and conquest, presented in school books. • “Men’s Clubs” became more militaristic in structure and attitude (Masons) • Boys Brigade, 1883; Boy Scouts, 1908 • Historical romances promoted a type of Britishness, a patriotism, and “race” attitude • Public Schools bred a Militaristic attitude and a concern with “character” and a patriotism or nationalism (an eton man, school chum literature, etc…) • All this available via popular culture: Music Halls, Juvenile literature, worlds fairs and spectacles, jingoist propaganda, films, popular art, and radio • Juvenile literature: Public School Fiction: Tom Brown’s School Days. • Militarism: Dorm v. dorm, team v. team, school v school, nation v nation. Patriotism. • Popular Fiction: Active v. Passive audience. Role of imagination! In making active audience participation… • Fictional worlds rarely unsatisfactory but organized, easily indoctrinated.

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