English Schools and Departments in India started functioning well before English was grudgingly recognized as a subject in England. But in India, it was the master’s voice, the colonizers tongue, and not a neglected discipline at all. A discipline and subject thought to be of little importance in its own country assumed prime importance in its colonial underbelly. However, shortly following this, there have been tireless attempts in England to turn English into a subject of respect within the University and beyond. A group of critics, scholars and poets worked in close collaboration to consolidate English. This book is an exploration of the story of English in England and beyond.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The English Canon: Boundaries of Cultural Politics
Works Cited
F.R. Leavis and the English Canon
Works Cited
Reading Edward Said re-reading Conrad
Works Cited
Colonialism in the Canon: A New Look at Great Expectations
Works Cited
Beginning the Novel: A Saidian Mediation
Works Cited
Selected Bibliography
Objectives & Core Themes
This work explores the political and cultural dimensions of the English literary canon, examining how the construction of "greatness" in literature is deeply embedded in histories of nationalism, imperialism, and socio-cultural power structures, particularly through the lens of Edward Said’s critical theories.
- The role of the literary canon as an ideological construct rather than an aesthetic absolute.
- The institutionalization of English literature as a tool of colonial and nationalist agendas.
- A critical interrogation of canonical figures such as F.R. Leavis and the "Great Tradition."
- The relationship between the English novel, British imperialism, and the development of national identity.
Excerpt from the Book
Colonialism in the Canon: A New Look at Great Expectations
Generally speaking, literature is always thought as totally unrelated to politics of all kinds. While politics is about actual happenings in our day to day world, literature is more universal. It relates not to what is, or has been, but rather what could be, would be or ought to be—as traditional theories of literature would have us believe.
This paper contests this idea and seeks to establish that literature is very much political, it is more often than not an ideological tool through which authors express, maintain or even force their ideologies or counter ideologies. The paper focuses on the connections and links between British literature and British colonialism by way of a critical study of the most representative Victorian novelist Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations. The explorations, it can be suggested here, would provide interesting leads on the complicity between canonical and colonial desires.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides a historical overview of the formal study of English literature, noting its earlier institutionalization in India compared to England and the subsequent academic efforts in England to consolidate it as a respectful discipline.
The English Canon: Boundaries of Cultural Politics: Analyzes the political nature of literary canons, arguing that the designation of "great" texts is grounded in authority, nationalism, and colonial complicity rather than pure aesthetic value.
F.R. Leavis and the English Canon: Examines F.R. Leavis's role in institutionalizing English studies and his attempt to preserve a specific, elite mode of English culture as a "surrogate empire" against mass-consumerist civilization.
Reading Edward Said re-reading Conrad: Investigates the colonial ethos in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, contrasting Said's focus on historical and imperial contexts with the decontextualized, traditional readings of the Leavisite school.
Colonialism in the Canon: A New Look at Great Expectations: Offers a critical re-reading of Dickens's Great Expectations, highlighting the novel's reliance on Australia as a penal colony and its involvement in the material and economic realities of the British Empire.
Beginning the Novel: A Saidian Mediation: Explores Said’s concept of "beginning" in narrative fiction, analyzing how the act of authorship and the structure of novels are intrinsically linked to social formation, power, and the interrogation of absolute authority.
Keywords
English Canon, Cultural Politics, F.R. Leavis, Edward Said, Colonialism, Imperialism, Literature and Nationalism, Great Expectations, Literary Criticism, Narrative Authority, Postcolonial Theory, Eurocentrism, Institutions, Ideology, Western Canon
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this work?
The book primarily examines the political and ideological underpinnings of the English literary canon, questioning how and why certain texts are valued as "great" while others are excluded.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Key themes include the institutionalization of English studies, the complicity of canonical literature with British imperialism, and the role of the novel in building national identities.
What is the primary research goal?
The author aims to deconstruct the "givenness" of the literary canon and reveal how it serves as a tool for political and social control rather than just an aesthetic repository.
Which critical methodology is employed?
The work heavily utilizes postcolonial theory, particularly the critical methods of Edward Said, to read canonical texts against their socio-political and imperial backdrops.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It covers the history of English studies, detailed critiques of F.R. Leavis and Harold Bloom, and specific case studies like Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Dickens's Great Expectations.
Which keywords best characterize the research?
Essential keywords include cultural politics, the canon, imperialism, Edward Said, F.R. Leavis, colonialism, and narrative authority.
How does the author define the "canon"?
The author defines the canon not as a collection of timeless aesthetic works, but as a historically and politically constructed category shaped by institutional power.
What role does Dickens play in the analysis?
Dickens is used as a case study to demonstrate how Victorian literature is entangled with colonial wealth, specifically how the "great expectations" of characters rely on the realities of the penal colonies.
What is "molestation" in the context of Said’s theory?
It describes the author's or narrator's self-reflexive awareness of the "fictionality" of the narrative, which acts as a resistance against the totalizing authority of the text.
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- Jaydeep Chakrabarty (Autor:in), 2015, The Cultural Politics of English Studies, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/296251
