King Solomon's Mines was written at a time when Victorian society was confronted with a long-term cultural shift that took place towards the fin de siècle. Women’s rights movements had emerged since the 1860’s. Their demands focused on extending their role in Victorian society and hence threatened the patriarchal establishment. In this milieu, male writers perceived these female advancements, which also took place in literature, as jeopardy of their own creative space. Many female writers were writing about social observations, and were thus considered as only writing about the unexciting and ordinary. As a reaction, efforts were made towards reclaiming the novel as a male exclusivity. This process was detectable in the foundation of literature clubs only for men, and the revival of the adventurous, exciting romance. With this came the emergence of literary characters, such as Allan Quatermain, who act as the heroic male and express their patriarchal demands. They can be seen as an attempt to preserve the social position of the male from its own fragmentation.
In this paper, I want to analyze this attempted preservation of white masculinity and its conflict with the notions of race, gender and class from a post-colonial perspective. It is vital to notice that the recuperation of masculinity took place not in the home country, but in the colonies, where its regeneration was still considered possible. As a result, this notion of colonial masculinity is closely aligned with the appearance of Imperialism. For decades, the collective myth of colonialism had been nurtured by the adventurous tales that were circulating in Britain since Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. It intensified again during the Age of Imperialism and stimulated its readers to imitate the heroic protagonist. The new Imperialism presented itself as a purely male sphere of influence and its administration lay entirely in the hands of men. Its masculine representation was further boosted by the appearances of soldiers and hunters as colonial heroes and the supply for its administration was fuelled by the aforementioned crisis of masculinity taking place in later Victorian Britain. The journey to the colonies promised freedom from the restrictions of the male social roles back home, and it opened new possibilities for the development of a new type of masculinity, that of the imperial hero. Victorian Imperialism thus contained and enforced the "masculine imperative".
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The Notion of the Imperial Hero
2. The Imperial Hero and Femininity
2.1 Sexualized Landscape
2.2 Negative Femininity
2.3 Passive Femininity
3. The Imperial Hero and Native Masculinity
3.1 Hybrid Natives
3.2 Male Villains
Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This paper examines how Henry Rider Haggard’s novel "King Solomon’s Mines" reflects and attempts to preserve white patriarchal masculinity amidst the social anxieties of the late Victorian era. By analyzing the work from a post-colonial perspective, the study explores how the imperial adventure setting functions as a space for masculine regeneration and the reinforcement of colonial dominance over gender, race, and the landscape.
- The construction of the "Imperial Hero" as a response to Victorian social shifts.
- The sexualization and feminization of the African landscape as a justification for conquest.
- The representation of negative and passive femininity in both native and European contexts.
- The binary opposition between white masculine authority and "native" masculinity.
- The role of the colonial subject as an assimilated "mimic" versus a "reluctant villain."
Excerpt from the Book
1. The Notion of the Imperial Hero
Haggard’s story focuses on three rather different male characters: Allan Quatermain, the aged elephant hunter, Captain John Good, the retired naval officer, and Sir Henry Curtis, an aristocrat searching for his lost brother. Quatermain, as the narrator of the story, does not look like a classic hero: He is small, old, and has false teeth. His behaviour does not fit the characteristics of a hero either, as he is decisively modest, clumsy and sometimes ridicules himself. Good, although younger than Quatermain, is not a typical hero, too. He is "broad, of medium height, dark, stout and a rather curious man to look at" (Haggard 6). However, he keeps himself well-groomed and cultivates his gentlemanly appearance despite his false teeth and monocle. Both of them could be seen as stereotypes of men that would not be socially highly regarded back in Britain: Quatermain as a hunter does not earn enough to climb the social ladder, and Good was discharged from military service without a promotion. Nevertheless, the colonies offer them an ideal territory away from the tight social construct back home so as to reinvent and express their personalities and status to their own likes. This enables their social regeneration, as it was the case for many real-life Victorian emigrants in the colonies.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides a historical context of the 1885 publishing era and identifies the paper's post-colonial approach to analyzing masculinity and imperial influence.
1. The Notion of the Imperial Hero: Introduces the protagonists and explores how colonial spaces allow them to redefine their social status and perform heroics for the Empire.
2. The Imperial Hero and Femininity: Discusses the eroticized, feminine representation of the African landscape and how it invites conquest.
2.1 Sexualized Landscape: Analyzes the map and the physical terrain as symbols of a feminine body waiting to be mastered by the explorers.
2.2 Negative Femininity: Examines the character of Gagool as an antithesis to nature and a threat to male colonial authority.
2.3 Passive Femininity: Highlights the exclusion of meaningful female characters and the objectification of native women as mere accessories.
3. The Imperial Hero and Native Masculinity: Explores the hierarchical interaction between the white explorers and the indigenous population.
3.1 Hybrid Natives: Discusses the role of Umbopa as a "mimic man" who adopts colonial virtues but remains marginalized.
3.2 Male Villains: Details the character of King Twala as a stereotypical brutal savage who represents an obstacle to colonial ideals.
Conclusion: Synthesizes how the novel uses the "Lost World" genre to reflect deep-seated Victorian anxieties regarding the erosion of patriarchal power.
Keywords
Imperialism, Masculinity, Colonialism, Victorian Literature, Henry Rider Haggard, King Solomon’s Mines, Gender, Femininity, Race, Hybridity, Post-colonialism, Heroism, Lost World, Narrative, Patriarchal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on the representation of white masculinity in Henry Rider Haggard's "King Solomon’s Mines" and how the colonial context is used to reinforce patriarchal power during the late Victorian era.
What are the central themes discussed in this analysis?
The core themes include colonial masculinity, the feminization of landscapes, the marginalization of female characters, and the racial binary between white colonizers and the native population.
What is the primary objective of the research?
The objective is to analyze the attempted preservation of white masculine identity through the lens of a post-colonial critique of the "Lost World" literary genre.
Which scientific methodology is applied here?
The paper utilizes post-colonial literary criticism, focusing on discourse analysis, binary oppositions, and the historical context of late Victorian societal and political pressures.
What topics are covered in the main section of the paper?
The main section investigates the definition of the imperial hero, the eroticization of the African landscape, the negative and passive portrayals of women, and the dichotomy between compliant hybrid natives and antagonistic villains.
How would one characterize the most important keywords?
The keywords highlight the intersection of imperial ideology, gender dynamics, and colonial adventure literature, specifically within the framework of 19th-century British culture.
How does the author interpret the map leading to the mines?
The author argues that the map functions as an eroticized image of a woman's body, reflecting the colonial desire to possess and conquer both the land and its resources.
Why is the character of Foulata considered important in the narrative?
Foulata is the only native woman with a name; however, the author notes that she remains passive and is eventually removed from the story, suggesting her role is ultimately subordinate to the masculine mission.
How does the death of King Twala symbolize his relationship with the colonial heroes?
Twala is portrayed as a resistant savage; his death and subsequent transformation into a stalactite in the "place of Death" represent the final victory of colonial order over his refusal to submit.
- Quote paper
- Derya Ünal (Author), 2012, Imperial Masculinity in Henry Rider Haggard’s "King Solomon’s Mines": Relationship and Conflict with Femininity and Black Masculinity, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/212822
