The representation of British India in literary from 1772 to 1976. A comparison of "The Painter of Sign" and "Untouchable"

Dossier / Travail de Séminaire , 2005 , 16 Pages , Note: 1,3

Philologie Anglaise - Littérature Comparée

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.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• 1,1. 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
• Bibliography / Webliography

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte

This seminar paper aims to analyze the representation of 'the British' and 'India' in R.K. Narayan's The Painter of Signs and Mulk Raj Anand's Untouchable, comparing them to earlier literary texts on British India. The paper explores the evolution of these representations, focusing on the interplay of power dynamics, cultural differences, and the romanticized image of India.

• The impact of Edward Said's Orientalism on understanding the East-West dichotomy in literature on British India.
• The romanticized portrayal of India in British literature and its connection to the exotic and picturesque.
• The representation of the British colonizers and their influence on the Indian landscape and society.
• The portrayal of Indians in literature, particularly the complexities of caste and social hierarchy.
• The evolution of representations of India and the British in literature over time.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel

The introduction sets the stage for the analysis by highlighting the literary significance of British colonialism in India. It introduces the core texts, Anand's Untouchable and Narayan's The Painter of Signs, and outlines the key themes of the paper, including the representation of landscapes, stereotypes, and power relations.

Chapter 2 delves into Edward Said's concept of Orientalism and its relevance to the literature of British India. It examines how Said's model of East-West differences, based on power and knowledge, can be applied to Emma Roberts' poem The Land Storm and Narayan's The Painter of Signs. The chapter explores the ways in which these texts reinforce or challenge Said's perspective.

Chapter 3 focuses on the romanticized representation of India in British literature. It examines how the exotic and picturesque became a dominant theme in writing about the East, exploring the motivations behind this romanticization. The chapter analyzes Anand's Untouchable, highlighting the novel's portrayal of the Indian landscape and its contrasting depictions of beauty and ugliness.

Chapter 4 delves into the representation of the British in literature on British India. It explores how the colonizers were portrayed, focusing on their influence on the Indian landscape and society. The chapter examines the ways in which British writers depicted their own role in the colonial enterprise.

Chapter 5 examines the representation of Indians in literature, particularly the complexities of caste and social hierarchy. It analyzes how Indian writers, like Anand, portrayed the lives and experiences of different social groups, highlighting the challenges and inequalities faced by marginalized communities.

Schlüsselwörter

The keywords and focus themes of the text encompass British colonialism in India, Orientalism, representation, literature, R.K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand, The Painter of Signs, Untouchable, Edward Said, Emma Roberts, The Land Storm, romanticization, exoticism, landscape, stereotypes, power relations, caste, social hierarchy, and cultural differences.

• Université: University of Nottingham (English Studies)
• Cours: Literature on British India
• Note: 1,3
• Auteur: Steffen Laaß (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2005
• Pages: 16
• N° de catalogue: V114243
• ISBN (ebook): 9783640152308
• ISBN (Livre): 9783640154487
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: British’, Narayan’s, Painter, Sign, Anand’s, Untouchable, British, India, Literature, British, India