Abstract
The popular author, Somerset Maugham, published a book of colonial travel in 1930 entitled The Gentleman in the Parlour, an account of his journey through mainland Southeast Asia. In Asia, the interwar period was the high point of the colonial era, but also marked the beginning of the end of Western imperialism. This article offers an interpretation of Maugham’s travelogue in terms of its relationship to British imperialism. Drawing upon the insights of postcolonial and feminist scholarship, it analyses how Maugham used prevailing concepts of gender to convey his sense that British imperial rule in Burma (now Myanmar) was at risk. It is suggested that in pursuing this political agenda, Maugham was able to tap into long-held historical understandings, in the Anglo-Latin tradition, of the connections between gender problems and the decline of empires.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 17-30 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Studies in Travel Writing |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 26 Aug 2019 |
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Maugham on Myanmar : gender trouble and imperial decay. / Doran, Christine.
In: Studies in Travel Writing, Vol. 23, No. 1, 26.08.2019, p. 17-30.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Maugham on Myanmar
T2 - gender trouble and imperial decay
AU - Doran, Christine
PY - 2019/8/26
Y1 - 2019/8/26
N2 - The popular author, Somerset Maugham, published a book of colonial travel in 1930 entitled The Gentleman in the Parlour, an account of his journey through mainland Southeast Asia. In Asia, the interwar period was the high point of the colonial era, but also marked the beginning of the end of Western imperialism. This article offers an interpretation of Maugham’s travelogue in terms of its relationship to British imperialism. Drawing upon the insights of postcolonial and feminist scholarship, it analyses how Maugham used prevailing concepts of gender to convey his sense that British imperial rule in Burma (now Myanmar) was at risk. It is suggested that in pursuing this political agenda, Maugham was able to tap into long-held historical understandings, in the Anglo-Latin tradition, of the connections between gender problems and the decline of empires.
AB - The popular author, Somerset Maugham, published a book of colonial travel in 1930 entitled The Gentleman in the Parlour, an account of his journey through mainland Southeast Asia. In Asia, the interwar period was the high point of the colonial era, but also marked the beginning of the end of Western imperialism. This article offers an interpretation of Maugham’s travelogue in terms of its relationship to British imperialism. Drawing upon the insights of postcolonial and feminist scholarship, it analyses how Maugham used prevailing concepts of gender to convey his sense that British imperial rule in Burma (now Myanmar) was at risk. It is suggested that in pursuing this political agenda, Maugham was able to tap into long-held historical understandings, in the Anglo-Latin tradition, of the connections between gender problems and the decline of empires.
KW - Burma
KW - gender
KW - Imperialism
KW - Maugham
KW - Myanmar
KW - Orientalism
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85071174451&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13645145.2019.1649925
DO - 10.1080/13645145.2019.1649925
M3 - Article
VL - 23
SP - 17
EP - 30
JO - Studies in Travel Writing
JF - Studies in Travel Writing
SN - 1364-5145
IS - 1
ER -