1857: Colonial and postcolonial representations of the Indian Rebellion - Einzelansicht

NOTE: Room change. We will now meet in room 1.19.1.16.

The 1857 Indian rebellion (also referred to as the "uprising" or "mutiny" or, in India, sometimes the "First War of Indian Independence") had far reaching consequences for British colonialism in India and for discourses of racial differences and claims of racial superiority in Britain, and it became a recurring theme in British literature from the late 1850s until at least the late 20th century - although this literature has rarely been counted among the greatest or most canonical of works. In this seminar we will examine accounts of the rebellion in British fiction (short stories, novels and dramas), discuss the role of literature in forming and perpetuating certain understandings and memories of the rebellion in British culture, and examine debates over so-called postcolonial literary imaginings of the uprising.

The nineteenth-century texts are all copyright free and available online; links will be posted to Moodle. Students will be required to obtain a copy of J.G. Farrell's The Siege of Krishnapur.