Shakespeare studies in Colonial Bengal : The early phase. DAHIYA, Hema. Available from the Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) at: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/19526/ A Sheffield Hallam University thesis This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Please visit http://shura.shu.ac.uk/19526/ and http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html for further details about copyright and re-use permissions. Sheffield S1 1WD REFERENCE ProQuest Number: 10694407 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10694407 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 SHAKESPEARE STUDIES IN COLONIAL BENGAL: THE EARLY PHASE HEMA DAHIYA A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Sheffield Hallam University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 2011 ABSTRACT SHAKESPEARE STUDIES IN COLONIAL BENGAL: THE EARLY PHASE Shakespeare was formally introduced in Colonial Bengal when Hindu College was established in 1817. This thesis highlights how in the midst of running controversy between Orientalists and Anglicists, amidst intense rivalry between Christian missionaries and orthodox Hindus, Hindu College pioneered Shakespeare studies, keeping it free from religious orthodoxy, and imparting secular ideas of Renaissance humanism. Describing the historical role the leading founders of the college - Raja Rammohan Roy and David Hare - played in creating environment of secularism, this thesis is focussed on the work of three early teachers of English at Hindu College - Henry Derozio, D.L. Richardson, and H.M. Percival - who laid the foundation of Shakespeare studies in colonial Bengal. Derozio’s inspiring teaching made his students not only crusaders against orthodoxy but also fighters for freedom thereby igniting the flame of the Bengal Renaissance. A poet like Derozio, Richardson, besides teaching Shakespeare’s plays and promoting their performance, emerged as the first major literary critic of Shakespeare and other English poets. Percival, continuing the secular tradition of teaching, also became the first major editor of Shakespeare for Indian students, who edited with long introductions the texts of six plays. This thesis highlights the pioneering role of these three eminent teachers of English at Hindu College who established Shakespeare studies as a secular learning of humanist ideas. This thesis also challenges the sweeping generalisation of postcolonial criticism that English education in colonial India, including Shakespeare teaching, was used to promote the political agenda of the British rulers. It points out that Shakespeare teaching as a component of English education at Hindu College defies that generalisation. Besides, if English education promoted colonial interests, it also inducted ideas of the European Enlightenment that contributed towards the general awakening in colonial Bengal. In the era of postcolonial theory’s dominance in English studies, this thesis offers an original contribution to knowledge by putting forth evidence in support of secular Shakespeare studies in colonial Bengal spearheaded by eminent teachers like Derozio, Richardson, and Percival. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For completing my research work for the degree of Ph.D. I am indebted to several individuals and institutions without whose generous help it would have been difficult to accomplish the task. First, and foremost, I am highly indebted to my Director of Studies, Professor Lisa Hopkins (Professor of English and Head of the Graduate School, Faculty of Development and Society, Sheffield Hallam University) whose writings on Shakespeare had inspired me to wonder if she would accept me as a Ph.D. student under her guidance. It was like a dream come true when I received her response indicating that she had not only approved my Thesis Proposal but also agreed to supervise my work. Later, the of painstaking guidance I received from her on my various chapters, offering page to page, and line to line advice, removing whatever oddities of argument or style I was given to committing, proved an immensely valuable experience for me. Working under her supervision I learned to think more logically and write more coherently. I shall always carry a sense of pride and privilege that I have been a student of Professor Lisa Hopkins. I am also grateful to my second Supervisor, Dr. Tom Rutter (Principal Lecturer in English, Faculty of Development and Society, Sheffield Hallam University), whose searching comments on the various chapters helped to clarify the ideational structure of my thesis. His guidance, too, was a learning experience. My thanks are also due to my Local Supervisor, Professor R.W. Desai (formerly Head, Dept, of English, University of Delhi (India) and Editor of Hamlet Studies published from 1979 to 2004) whose advice on several aspects of style and technique toned up my presentation a good deal. I am highly grateful to Dr. Matthew Steggle of Sheffield Hallam University, who agreed to go through my thesis. His comments helped me a great deal in answering many hanging questions. Thanks are also due to several senior Indian scholars who extended help in procuring source material for my thesis, namely Professor Sanjyukta Dasgupta (Dept, of English, Calcutta University, Calcutta), Professor G.K. Das (formerly Head of English Dept., University of Delhi), Professor Girija Sharma (Dept, of English, H.P. University, Shimla). I must also express my gratitude to the Librarians and the supporting staff of Presidency (earlier Hindu) College (now Presidency University), Calcutta; Calcutta University Calcutta; National Library, Calcutta; Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla; National Archives, New Delhi; Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi; Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra; Panjab University, Chandigarh; who extended all help for making available to me whatever relevant source and secondary material I found relevant to my thesis. Last but not least I owe my gratitude to my parents whose loving care made my study period a memorable experience. I am especially indebted to my father, a former Professor of English and now President of The Shakespeare Association, whose personal library the discussions I held with him were of great help in completing my research work. My elder sister and brother remained ever-ready to extend whatever help I needed to keep my study free from domestic duties. Contents Description Page No. Introduction 1-36 Chapter - 1 Conditions Leading to Shakespeare Studies (1753-1835) 37-66 Chapter - II The Hindu College (1817-1911) 67-95 Chapter - III Henry Derozio, a Radical Shakespeare Teacher 96-123 Chapter - IV D.L. Richardson, the First Shakespeare Critic 124-154 Chapter - V H.M. Percival, the First Scholar-Critic of Shakespeare 155-192 Chapter - VI The Great Legacy 193-205 Conclusion 206-209 Bibliopgraphy 210-217 INTRODUCTION The influence of Shakespeare in India has been widespread, and has been duly acknowledged in several books, each related to an aspect of Shakespeare in India, such as stage performance, translation, and interpretation in different Indian languages. These studies include Shakespeare in Indian Languages (Ed. D.A.Shankar); Shakespeare’s Impact in Hindi Literature (Jagdish Prasad Mishra); Shakespeare in Tamil Versions by Palany Arangasamy; Shakespeare Came to India (Ed. C.D.Narasimhaiah); India’s Shakespeare (Eds. Poonam Trivedi and Dennis Bartholomeusz).1 These various studies demonstrate how Shakespeare came to India in the eighteenth century and made a lasting impact on the Indian theatre and literature studies in most of its major languages. What seems to have remained inadequately acknowledged, however, is the contribution of those eminent early teachers of English in Calcutta who actually laid the foundation of Shakespeare studies in colonial Bengal. Not that these teachers find no mention in the historical accounts of English education in India; they do receive brief attention in some, if not all, these general histories, though, of course, without any special and searching investigation into their work. A scrutiny of these available passing or casual accounts of Shakespeare studies would show how a subject of considerable significance has remained unexplored. But before we mention these accounts, it seems necessary to briefly introduce Hindu College, where these eminent teachers introduced Shakespeare studies in colonial Bengal. A privately funded institution of higher education named Hindu College was set up in 1817 in Calcutta, the capital of Bengal and one of the three largest cities of India at the time. It was originally set up by raising funds through donations made mostly by the founders themselves. Those who held several meetings and finally resolved to set