Imperial Culture and Victorian Novels: A Study of Daniel Deronda, The Moonstone and Kim

Abstract

The Victorian novels do not only elaborate and articulate the power of Victorian British imperialism and its imperial culture as asserted by Edward Said, they also critique imperial culture. They express ambivalent concept about imperial culture. It is true that the British colonizers tried to show their superiority over colonized people by showing themselves as culturally superior to them. They tried to show that they were civilized people. They thought colonized people as inferior and their behaviours as uncivilized. Edward Said asserts that the Victorian novels articulated and elaborated these ideas. But this research finds that the Victorian novels are of discursive nature. It is true that the Victorian novels include imperial cultural ingredients, but some of them also critique the imperial culture. Kipling in Kim staunchly articulates and elaborates imperial culture, whereas Eilot’s Daniel Deronda does both critiquing and approving to imperial culture. On the other hand, Collins stages counter narration of resistance to imperial culture in The Moonstone.