Posted by andy bolger on March 25, 2002 at 22:09:56 from 62.7.26.55:
In Reply to: Re: Colonialism in S&As posted by Pippa on March 25, 2002 at 19:10:46:
I am glad you have raised this topic as the "C" and "I" words have rarely come up in this forum.
If you are intrested in AR and literary landscapes, you should have a look at the David Matless article I mentioned in "I spy AR'. I'll post you a link if you wish.
It seems to me that Ar treats exploration and colonisation differently in different books and that one way to approach the subject is via the literary works he has the characters draw from. ( Is that inter -textual enough for the post-structuralists out there?) In SA the two most obvious are Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe, also "On first reading Chapman's Homer" ( I forget who wrote the poem, but someone mega famous).
PD is arguably an update of Treasure Island. BTW I disagree with the story within a story format being too cumbersome, look at Mary Norton's "The Borrowers", box within, box within box.
SD introduces Kanchenjunga which is Alistair Crowley and Frank Smythe territory, the latter's books have a very AR feel. But overall, SD is also a much more "Lakeland" book, hound trails and charcoal burners.
WH seems to be totally Nansen, no Scott or Shackleton, perhaps more obvious and nationalistic polar heroes ( yes I know they were in the South)
I don't see much of an exploration theme in CC but PP gives us another aspect of empire; the goldfields of S.Africa and the Klondyke, which fits in with your Capt.F. thesis.
SW is perhaps the most systematic piece of exploration undertaken by the characters, native kraals and savages apart, I can't remember what the influences might be.
ML is a different kettle of fish again, ML's attempts to have her own western colony to play with seems to have quite a potential if placed with in a post colonialist context.
One way to develop this approach would be to look at the contents of AR's libary hasn't this been published? Bevis featured quite prominently on AR's bookcase, I believe, but Jefferies own "lumber room" ( I like that phrase, much more resonant than "interpretive repertoire") seemed to draw more on the classics than contemporary colonialism, though I don't doubt that a word count would find plenty of references.
All in all, it is quite an intersting paradox that a writer associated with the Bolsheviks and who from time to time declared himself a "revolutionary" should turn a Bohemian "dual heritage" family so "navy", as Taqui Altounyan put it.
He's not the only one of course, Tolkein made some robustly anti-racist responses when a German publisher tried to elicit a statement from him that he was of "Aryan" stock but Middle Earth relies on the scheme of there being different races with innate characteristics .O.K. these can be herorically overcome, except by orcs but that's a different story.