The legacy of British colonialism in India is not only of economic or social nature, but also of highly literary interest. What makes the literature of British India so fascinating is first and foremost its depiction of the ‘other’, the exotic and unknown.
On the basis of selected representative texts by both British and Indian writers, this essay attempts to set out visible similarities and differences in Anglophone literature on India. To this end, Anand’s Untouchable and Narayan’s The Painter of Signs shall serve as core texts around which the comparisons will be centred.
It must be noted that representations of India do not embrace people alone, even though this is one of them most interesting and exhaustive aspects. Elements I will also elaborate on are the representations of landscapes and stereotypical images of India. As far as the British are concerned, it is the colonizers that are of primary interest here.
The literary material we will be discussing covers a period of more than 200 years – from 1772 to 1976. But it was only in 1978 when Edward Said published his most influential book Orientalism which studies the East through Western eyes. His vies will be used as a starting point for our investigation.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Said’s East and West in The Land Storm and The Painter of Sign
3. The romanticized India
4. The representation of the British
5. The representation of the Indians
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the representation of India and the British in literature, specifically focusing on R.K. Narayan’s The Painter of Signs and Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable in comparison with earlier colonial literary texts. It explores how these narratives construct cultural identities, power dynamics, and the perception of the "other" over a 200-year period.
- Application of Edward Said’s Orientalism to colonial literature
- The romanticization and stereotyping of the Indian landscape
- Role reversals and the subversion of colonial power structures
- The shift from depicting Indians as passive victims to complex individuals
- The interaction between tradition and modernity in post-colonial narratives
Excerpt from the Book
3. The romanticized India
The exotic and picturesque is an integral part of British writing on the East because ‘[r]epresentations of the romantic, mystical Orient … act as a container for Western desires and fantasies which cannot be accommodated within the boundaries of what is normal in the west’ (Cloke 1999: 49). Apart from the prospect of wealth and power, it was chiefly adventurism that drove the British away from their home-country to distant places like India.
In literature, it was initially the representation of the Indian landscape that became the dominant subject of romanticization and sentimentaliziation. It may seem paradoxical, but also Anand’s ‘dim novel’ Untouchable (1935) contains a number of idyllic and romantic moments. In his text, it is first and foremost the sun and the sky that are elevated to the picturesque: ‘the white-blue lower sky was defined into a lovely pattern by the golden domes of the temples’ (99). Portrayals of the ‘ugliness and the noise of the outcastes’ streets’ are followed by descriptions of a beautiful transcend blue sky (cf. 93). Now and then, Bakha – the protagonist – stops for a while and looks up skywards because ‘[n]ecessity had forced him to the contemplation of the charms of nature’ (94). As he is well aware that ‘darkness’ prevails in his life (and in the novel as a whole), he is the more sensitive towards the natural beauty: ‘The contrast of the tremulous life of foliage …, the green, green mango orchards and the marshlands which surrounded his home was a stark one’. Despite his unlucky fate as an outcaste, he nevertheless feels attached to his country.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction outlines the scope of the study, covering British colonial literature from 1772 to 1976, and establishes Edward Said's Orientalism as the primary theoretical framework.
2. Said’s East and West in The Land Storm and The Painter of Sign: This chapter analyzes how Said's binary categories of East and West manifest in Emma Roberts' poem and Narayan's novel, exploring themes of colonialism and gender role reversals.
3. The romanticized India: This chapter examines how British writers constructed an exotic, romanticized view of India, particularly focusing on landscape descriptions that serve Western fantasies.
4. The representation of the British: This chapter explores the identity of the British in literature, ranging from their portrayal as "sahibs" and "Tommies" to their role as objects of mockery and colonial criticism.
5. The representation of the Indians: This chapter investigates the shifting portrayal of Indians, moving from homogeneous, stereotypical victims to complex individuals navigating the tension between tradition and modernity.
6. Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes how 20th-century authors like Anand and Narayan contributed to a more diverse and authentic perception of India, moving beyond colonial-era fantasies.
Keywords
Orientalism, Colonialism, British India, R.K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand, Untouchable, The Painter of Signs, Cultural Identity, Representation, Stereotypes, Tradition, Modernity, East and West, Post-colonialism, Literature.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on the representation of India and the British in Anglophone literature, analyzing how cultural "others" were depicted in texts ranging from the 18th to the 20th century.
Which literary works are used as primary case studies?
The study centers on R.K. Narayan’s "The Painter of Signs" and Mulk Raj Anand’s "Untouchable," comparing them to earlier works such as Emma Roberts’ "The Land Storm" and Massey Gerald’s "Havelock’s March."
What is the central research question?
The research investigates how literary depictions of India and the British evolved over time, particularly questioning how colonial stereotypes are perpetuated or subverted in later works.
Which theoretical framework is employed?
The author primarily utilizes Edward Said’s concept of "Orientalism" to analyze the power relations and binary oppositions between the East and the West.
What does the main body of the paper discuss?
It discusses the romanticization of the Indian landscape, the portrayal of the British as both colonial authorities and objects of ridicule, and the complex, evolving identity of Indian protagonists.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Orientalism, British India, cultural identity, post-colonial literature, and the tension between tradition and modernity.
How does the representation of gender roles change in the analyzed texts?
The paper highlights a reversal of traditional gender roles in Narayan’s "The Painter of Signs," where the male protagonist adopts passive traits often associated with the "feminized" Orient.
Does the author conclude that colonial literature has been beneficial?
The author concludes that while colonial effects were not always positive, the literary discourse has benefited from the cross-cultural interference, ultimately leading to more diverse and authentic portrayals of India.
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- Steffen Laaß (Autor:in), 2005, The representation of British India in literary from 1772 to 1976. A comparison of "The Painter of Sign" and "Untouchable", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/114243
