Victorian Travel Writing and Imperial Violence: British Writing of Africa 1855-1902 (Palgrave Studies in Nineteenth-Century Writing and Culture)

229 Pages·2004·0.79 MB·English

by  Laura Franey

Victorian Travel Writing
and Imperial Violence
British Writing on Africa, 1855–1902
Laura E. Franey
Victorian Travel Writing and Imperial Violence
PalgraveStudiesinNineteenth-CenturyWritingandCulture
GeneralEditor:JosephBristow,ProfessorofEnglish,UCLA
Editorial Advisory Board: Yopie Prins, University of Michigan; Jenny Bourne
Taylor, University of Sussex; Lindsay Smith, University of Sussex; Josephine
McDonagh, Birkbeck College; Margaret D. Stetz, Birkbeck College; Hilary
Fraser,UniversityofWesternAustralia
Palgrave Studies in Nineteenth-Century Writing and Culture is a new monograph
serieswhichaimstorepresentthemostinnovativeresearchintoliterarywriting
andcultureproducedintheEnglish-speakingworldfromthetimeoftheNapo-
leonicWarstothefindesie`cle. Attentivetothehistorical continuitiesbetween
‘Romantic’and‘Victorian’,theserieswillreassessthecriticalproblemofperiod-
izationduringacenturythatmarkstrajectoriessuchastheemergenceofliberal-
ism.Themainaimoftheseriesistolookattheincreasinginfluenceoftypesof
historicismonouranalysisofliteraryformsandgenres.Itreflectsonthesignifi-
cantshiftfromcriticaltheorytoculturalhistorythathasaffectednotonlythe
period1800–1900buteveryfieldwithinthedisciplineofEnglishliterature.All
titlesintheseriesseektoofferrefreshingnewperspectivesandchallengingnew
readingsoftheperiod.
Titlesinclude:
LauraE.Franey
VICTORIAN TRAVEL WRITING AND IMPERIALVIOLENCE British Writing on
Africa,1855–1902
LawrenceFrank
VICTORIANDETECTIVEFICTIONANDTHENATUREOFEVIDENCE
TheScientificInvestigationsofPoe,DickensandDoyle
Victorian Travel Writing
and Imperial Violence:
British Writing on Africa, 1855–1902
Laura E. Franey
QLauraE.Franey2003
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inaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Firstpublished2003by
PALGRAVEMACMILLAN
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Thisbookisprintedonpapersuitableforrecyclingandmadefromfully
managedandsustainedforestsources.
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
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Franey,LauraE.,1971-
Victoriantravelwritingandimperialviolence:BritishwritingonAfrica,
1855–1902/LauraE.Franey.
p.cm.–(Palgravestudiesinnineteenth-centurywritingandculture)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN1-4039-0508-8
1.Englishliterature–Africaninfluences.2.Englishprose
literature–19thcentury–Historyandcriticism.3.Travelers’writings,
English–Historyandcriticism.4.Africa–Descriptionand
travel–Historiography.5.Travelers–Africa–History–19thcentury.
6.Violence–Africa–History–19thcentury.7.British–Africa–History–19th
century.8.Imperialisminliterature.9.Africa–Inliterature.10.Violencein
literature.I.Title.II.Series.
PR129.A35F732003
828’.809355–dc21
2003051764
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
12 1110 09 0807 0605 04 03
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AntonyRoweLtd,ChippenhamandEastbourne
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction 1
1 ‘‘TheDevil’sOwn Tattoo’’:Prefiguring Imperial
Sovereignty in Exploration Narratives 10
Sovereignmarks 19
Sovereignmercy 36
Sovereignmedicine 41
Concludingremarks 45
2 ‘‘A Pulpy Mass of Churned-Up Flesh’’:
Exploring the Complexity of Pulverization 47
ThecausesandconductoftheEminPashaReliefExpedition 48
Mutilationandpulverizationinpublicdiscourseabout
theExpedition 52
Travelisdead,longliveEmpire 59
3 DamagedBodies andImperial Ideology in the
TravelFiction of Haggard, Schreiner,and Conrad 67
Blood,guts,andglory:RiderHaggardand
anachronisticviolence 70
‘‘Thenoblestattributesofanimperialrule’’:
SchreinerandvictimhoodinSouthernAfrica 75
Restrainingthe‘‘UnlawfulSoul’’inHeartofDarkness 95
4 Blurring Boundaries, Forming a Discipline:
ViolenceandAnthropological Collecting 112
Thecaseoftheoverzealouszoologist 114
Ofskullsandskeletons 116
ScienceandsufferingontheEminPashaReliefExpedition 123
Bodiesandculturalanthropology 134
Concludingremarks 144
v
vi Contents
5 ‘‘TonguesCocked andLoaded’’:Women
Travel Writers and Verbal Violence 147
AmeliaEdwards:AppropriatingArabicmaledictions 150
CorneliaSpeedy:Winningwordytussles 154
MaryKingsley:Wide-ranginglinguisticmastery 158
Marginalization,empowerment,andthewrittenword 170
Epilogue 172
Notes 174
Workscited 200
Primarysources 200
Secondarysources 204
Acknowledgements
Thisbookhascometofruitionthroughthegenerousaidandinspiration
ofmanypeople.First,IwouldliketothankAliBehdadforintroducing
me to Victorian travel narratives and for providing excellent guidance
duringearlystagesoftheproject.AnneMelloralsosupervisedmyearly
efforts graciously and continues to be a fine mentor and supporter.
Otherswhograciouslyreadandvoicedconstructivecriticismofsections
of the book include Robert Aguirre, Albion Urdank, and the Works-
in-Progress group of the Millsaps Arts and Letters Division: Anne Mac-
Master, Elise Smith, Bob McElvaine, Sandy Zale, Kristen Tegtmeier, Bill
Storey,AdolfoCacheiro,andVeronicaFreeman.ColleaguesintheHeri-
tage of the West in World Perspective program – David Davis, John
Thatamanil, Michael Gleason, Patrick Hopkins, and Steve Smith – en-
couragedmyalready-presentinterestininterdisciplinaryscholarshipby
sharingtheirknowledgeofworldhistory,religiousstudies,classics,and
philosophy.
TheannualDickensUniverse(hostedbytheUniversityofCalifornia,
Santa Cruz) spawned ideas and relationships that have played an
important role in the creation and completion of this project. I am
especially grateful to Dickens Universe participants Joseph Childers,
JamesKincaid,andPaulSaint-Amournotonlyfortheirfriendlysupport
andadvicebutalsofortheirmodelingofincisive,insightful,andwitty
scholarship.
Inaddition,Iamgratefultotheresearchlibrariansandsupportstaffs
attheBritishLibrary(especiallythoseintheManuscriptsDepartment),
the Royal Geographical Society, and the Millsaps College Library.
IgreatlyappreciatetheheroiceffortsofJanAllisonandTomHenderson
atMillsapstoacquirethematerialsIneeded,sometimesatshortnotice.
Also,fundingforafinalvisittotheBritishLibrarytoreadmanuscripts
associated with Henry M. Stanley’s Emin Pasha Relief Expedition was
providedbyaFacultyDevelopmentGrantfromMillsaps.
At Palgrave, editors Eleanor Birne, Emily Rosser, and Paula Kennedy
haveprovidedenthusiasmfortheprojectandpatientoversightduring
the process of its production. I also appreciate the hard work and in-
sightsofmycopy-editor,JaneyFisher.
AnabridgedversionofChapter4waspublishedinVictorianLiterature
and Culture 29.1 (2001) and is used here by permission of Cambridge
vii
viii Acknowledgements
University Press. The image on the book jacket is reprinted by permis-
sionoftheRoyalGeographicalSocietyPictureLibrary.
Iamgratefultogoodfriendsovertheyears–particularlyMariaDoyle,
Jill Galvan, Danielle Price, Elliott Visconsi, Adam Wasson, David Wit-
zling,andPriscillaYbarraatUCLA,andAnneHardcastle,JulianMurch-
ison, Sandra Smithson, and Tracy Sullivan at Millsaps – with whom I
have enjoyed movies, camping trips, baseball games, costume parties,
and the general high points and low points of academic life. Sangeeta
Mehta,whomIfirstmetinanundergraduateseminar,continuestobea
kind and nonjudgmental friend. Family relationships have also been
very significant over the near-decade of devotion that has led to this
book’s publication. I would like to thank my grandparents, James and
MadelineCarlin,myparents,JamieandLarryFraney,mysisters,Lynn,
Janet,andJordan,andmybrothers,JohnandLance,forbeinginterested
intheworkIwasengagedinandfornotstoppingmewhenIoccasion-
allylaunchedintowhattheynodoubtconsideredlong-windeddisquisi-
tionsonabstrusetopics.
ForhelpinginitiateandnurturemyinterestinBritishlifeandculture,
IamgratefultoDesmondandDorinaSweeneyandDaniellePrice.Along
with their adult children Laurence, Michael, and Mary, the Sweeneys
gavememyfirsttasteoflifeintheUnitedKingdomwhenIstayedwith
theminSwansea,SouthWales,in1980.OnmysecondtriptotheUK,a
tripthatcametogetherhurriedlybutthatprovedrewardingprofession-
allyandpersonally,Daniellegraciouslyshowedmetheresearchropesat
theBritishLibrary(andnevercomplainedaboutmydrivingduringour
visittotheLakeDistrictandEdinburgh).
IoweanimmensedebttoJosephBristow–theeditorofthisseriesbut
alsoamentorandfriendwhosezestforlifeinspiresme.Agreatdealof
what I know about teaching, research, writing, and service has come
from observing Joe in action as he fearlessly takes on new projects,
researches thoroughly for his articles and books, closely supervises
graduate student teachers and researchers, and creates and maintains
friendships.NotonlyisJoethehardest-workingpersonIknow,heisalso
the best close reader I have encountered. For his careful reading of
various drafts and his subtle shaping of my writing style, I am very
thankful.
Most of all, though, I am indebted to Boty McDonald, a remarkable
manwhoseabilitytomakeeachpersonhemeetsfeelspecialandvalu-
ablehastransformedmylife.
Introduction
When we have them in our hands, we will then be able to do
manythingswhicharequiteimpossibleforustodayandwhich
will perhaps allow us to capture their minds after we have
capturedtheirbodies.
(CharlesRichardEtude,Frenchmilitaryofficerin
Egypt,1845–46)1
In his best-selling adventure novel She (1887), H. Rider Haggard
placedinthemouthofacenturies-old‘‘whitequeen’’rulingoverblack
Africans inafictionalkingdom inCentralAfricathefollowingexplan-
ationofherempire’sday-to-dayfunctioning:‘‘HowthinkestthouthatI
rule this people? I have but a regiment of guards to do my bidding,
therefore it is not by force. It is by terror. My empire is of the imagin-
ation.’’2Alargebodyofinterdisciplinaryanddiscipline-specificscholar-
shipinthepasttwodecadeshasinessenceappliedAyesha’ssentimentsto
astudyofEuropeanimperialismbyexploringtheideathatthesuccessof
imperial rule was not primarily due to force but rather to such non-
somatic means as psychological coercion, the introduction of new
religiousframeworksthatunderminedtraditionalnotionsofauthority,
and collaboration between colonial officials and indigenous rulers.
Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978) represents an early example of this
conception of the ‘‘empire of the imagination,’’ with later influential
articulations being found in the work of Mary Louise Pratt on travel
andscientificclassification,PaulCarter’sconcernwithexplorers’naming
of geographical features, Gauri Viswanathan’s exploration of Anglo-
Indian educational policy and, finally, the analysis of ceremonies and
culturalpracticesinTheInventionofTradition(1983),acollectionofessays
editedbyhistoriansE.J.HobsbawmandTerenceRanger.3
1