The Fictions of Empire

The Fictions of EmpirePopular Literature and the Selling of Imperial

IdeologyH Rider Haggard, “She” in Three Adventure NovelsBram Stoker, DraculaKipling, KimEdith Hull, The SheikBallantyne, Coral IslandGolding, Lord of the FliesConrad, Lord JimForester, Passage to IndiaSylvia Townsend Warner, Summer Will ShowFraser, FlashmanRobert Louis Stevenson South Sea Tales

Lawrence of ArabiaGunga Din

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.htmThe University of Florida Digital Collection, Juvenile Fiction

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

I. What is Imperialism? What is Colonization (v. post-colonialization)? II. Expanse of British Empire:

Africa, India, East, AustraliaIII. Beginnings: the construction of otherness. (hottentot, savages, etc…) Africa: unlike the myth of backwardness, Africa was advanced and organized: empires of Ghana (11 th C), Mali (13th), Songhni (14th)1441: First Portuguese Traders1560: John Hawkins “brought” hundreds of people back from west Africa1567: 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 century1600s: unsuccessful use of American Natives and Poor English and Irish as laborers in America and Carribean (sugar, tobacco, etc)

Rise of Triangular Trade1663 the “Company of Royal Adventurers of England” established, pointing to both expansion and sanctioned slavery1721: Walpole becomes prime minister, implements a policy of commercial expansion1750: 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 tradeCompany 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 Africa1857: Indian Mutinies result in the dissolution of the EIC and British rule of India. 1876: Victoria becomes Empress of India

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…

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

1) Imperialism as a Commodity superabundance Control over chaos

2) Imperialism as visual … and organized.Enlightenment mindset similar to genus / species

Darwin’s Origin of Species3) Race and Otherness as organized visually

“Construction of the Other”4) Britishness as a commodity of world improvement….

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

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.

Imperialism as a commodity : Colonization as commercially drivenThe Opium War

Imperialism as a commodity : Colonization as commercially drivenThe Opium War

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 radioJuvenile 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.