Travelling into History: The Travel Writing and Narrative History of William Dalrymple By Rebecca Dor gel o BA (Hons) Tas MA Tas Submitted in fulfilment of the r equi r ements for the Degr ee of Doctor of Philosophy University of Tasmani a July 2011 ii Declaration of Originality The thesis contains no material which has been accepted for a degree or diploma by the University or any other institution, except by way of background information and duly acknowledged in the thesis, and to the best of my k now l ed ge and bel i ef no mat er i al pr ev i ousl y publ i shed or w r i tten by another per son except w her e d ue ack now l ed gement i s made in the text of the thesis, nor does the thesis contain any material that infringes copyright. Si gned , Rebecca Dorgelo. 18 July 2011 Authority of Access The thesis may be made available for loan and limited copying in accordance w ith the Copyright Act 1968. Si g n ed , Rebecca Dorgelo. 18 July 2011 iii iv Abstract: “Travelling into History: The Travel Writing and N arrative History of William Dalrymple” Doctor of Philosophy. William Dalrymple is a popular, bestselling author, initially known for his travel writing and subsequently for his popular narrative histories. He is also a prolific journalist and reviewer. His major publications include: In Xanadu: A Quest (1990), City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi (1993), Fr om t he H ol y M ount ai n: A Jour ney i n t he Shadow of Byzant i um (1997), T he Age of Kali: Indian Travels & Encounters (1998), White M ughals: Lov e & Bet r ay al i n Ei ght een t h-Century India (2002), The Last M ughal : The Fal l of a Dynasty, Delhi, 1857 (2006), and N i n e L i v es: I n Sear ch of t he Sacr ed i n M odern India (2009). In each of these w orks, Dalrymple focuses on his interactions with India and the Middle East. This thesis examines Dalrymple’s travel writing and histories from a postcolonial perspective in order to map the relationship between travel and history writing, especially in colonial and postcolonial contexts. Travel writing is a textual repr esentati on of cultural interactions, even (or especially) if what eventuates is more a reflection of the “home” country than the traveller’s destination. In a similar way, the strategies by which we negotiate, choose and fashion historical narratives constr uct our pl ace i n the pr esent. v Dalrymple’s texts repeatedly consider the British Raj and its l egaci es. The t hesi s anal y ses t he w ay s i n w hi ch I nd i ans, Br i t ons, and t he r el ati onshi ps betw een them ar e r epr esented. I t ar gues that the Br i ti sh Empi r e i s r epr esented through a sentimental and nostalgic lens, resulting in an overwhelmingly positive portrayal. This thesis is also interested in the ways in which Dalrymple’s texts construct their authority. This narrative authority is achieved principally through an emphasis on the first-per son, autobi ogr aphi cal exper i ences of the narrator, blended in varying degrees with an invocation of the importance of history (which is expressed through the narrator’s relationship with primary source material). Dalrymple then uses t he cultural capital that this authority provides to argue for the value of his version of travel and history writing over other (particularly theoretical, postcolonial) approaches. In addition to his myriad print publications, Dalrymple has also written and performed in radio and television documentaries, and r ecentl y compl emented hi s pu bl i c speak i ng appear ances (to pr omote Nine Lives) with a travelling stage show featuring Indian song, dance and r el i gi ous pr acti ces. Dal r y mpl e’ s i nfl uence extend s bey ond that of si mpl e author , to that of an exper t, cel ebr i ty fi gur e w ho oper ates acr oss med i a pl at f or ms t o r each hi s au d i ences. Thi s t hesi s und er t ak es a cl ose reading of each of Dalrymple’s monographs, as w ell as the w ays in which they are positioned in the public sphere, both by their author and vi by reviewers and critics. This reading enables an analysis of the ar guments mad e abou t the past and pr esent r el ati onshi p betw een I nd i a and Britain within and outside the texts. vii Acknowledgements: My first thanks go to A ssoci at e Pr of essor A nna Johnst on and Pr of essor Ralph Crane for their inspiration, feedback and supervisory talents. I appreciate their enthusiasm, collegiality and pragmatism. The rest of the staff and postgraduate students in the School of English, Journalism and European Languages have all been encouraging and supportive and have provided a stimulating environment in which to work. Thanks to the Centre for Colonialism and its Aftermath for my empl oy ment ov er the thr ee y ear s, w hi ch has pr ov i d ed , as w el l as usef ul income, equally valuable experience, opportunities and connections. Writing a PhD on travel writing and narrative history, and arguing for their serious consideration as cultural objects with important influences has the potential side-effect of l osi ng one’ s sense of humour. In recognition of this tendency, I thank the very many good sorts (too many to name) that I’m lucky enough to have around me. Particular mention is due to: Nathan, Erenie, Rolf, Anica, Ruth and Letitia for their patience, generosity, friendship, and many laughs that hel ped to pr eser v e my l i ght hear ted ness thr oughout thi s d egr ee. viii ix Contents: Introduction 1 Chapter One I n Xanadu: A Quest 22 Chapter Two City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi 64 Chapter Three From the Holy M ountain: A Journey in the Shadow of Byzantium 102 Chapter Four White M ughals: Love and Betrayal in Eighteenth-Century I ndia 138 Chapter Five The Last M ughal: The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi, 1857 189 Concl usi on The Age of Kali: I ndian Travels and Encounters and Nine Lives: A Search for the Sacred in M odern I ndia 233 W ork s Ci ted 273 x xi Introduction: In the lead-up to the 2011 Jaipur Literature Festival Hartosh Singh Bal caused a stir in the Indian magazine Open. Singh Bal highlighted the influence of British taste on the Indian literary scene, using the figure of William Dalrymple, co-director of the Festival, as the prime example. How, Singh Bal asks, has a young, white, amusing travel writer become one of the chief arbiters of literary taste in India? Singh Bal’s “The Literary Raj” is one of few public critiques of Dalrymple, and it is accompanied by a large colour cartoon of the author dressed in the style of a Mughal ruler. Dalrymple responded in the same week with a strongly worded letter to the editor. He defends the multi-faceted nature of the Festival, and calls Singh Bal’s treatment of him, including the caricature, “racist” (“Blatantly Racist”). Perhaps this expose of Dalrymple’s status works against his carefully maintained self-positioning as equally part of, and divided between, India and Britain. His objection to his characterisation as a white Mughal is curious, given that this is a representational strategy that Dalrymple often employs himself. Dalrymple’s letter is published alongside a corresponding reply by Singh Bal, which is chiefly devoted to combating the charge of racism. He clarifies his earlier arguments, reiterating that the central point of his examination of Dalrymple’s presence high in India’s literary strata is that it “says something about the Indian literary scene” (“Does Dalrymple Know”). The presence of such conversations about cultural authority in the public 1 sphere is encouraging, for they echo similar in this scholarly examination of Dalrymple’s work. This thesis examines the writing of William Dalrymple. Each of his five monographs is discussed in a separate chapter, while his prolific journalistic output (encompassing reviews, interviews and articles) is considered in the conclusion. Despite its focus on a single author the thesis is not a biographical narrative about Dalrymple and his works. Instead, it is a serious critical engagement with a kind of text that is traditionally less-well represented in literary studies: popular, middlebrow non-fiction. Dalrymple’s popularity and engagement with colonial history and discourse, as well as the way his work spans multiple genres, make his texts particularly interesting examples of the ways in which popular non-fiction functions rhetorically in the public sphere. Dalrymple is a prolific, well-known (at least to a certain section of the reading public) and best-selling author. This is a study of his output, an examination of a successful negotiation with the literary marketplace, and an analysis of the representational strategies that enable or contribute to that success. Dalrymple’s oeuvre is interesting because of the ways in which all of its components function together. His shift between genres, modes and media is complex and continuing.