The Architecture of the Great House in the Contemporary Postcolonial Novel Julie Kloo
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Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Fall 2009 The Architecture of the Great House in the Contemporary Postcolonial Novel Julie Kloo Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Kloo, J. (2009). The Architecture of the Great House in the Contemporary Postcolonial Novel (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/758 This Immediate Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE GREAT HOUSE IN THE CONTEMPORARY POSTCOLONIAL NOVEL A Dissertation Submitted to the McAnulty Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Julie O’Neill Kloo December 2009 Copyright by Julie O’Neill Kloo 2009 THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE GREAT HOUSE IN THE CONTEMPORARY POSTCOLONIAL NOVEL By Julie O’Neill Kloo Approved November 13, 2009 ________________________________ ________________________________ Dr. Magali Cornier Michael Dr. Laura Callanan Professor of English Professor of English (Committee Chair) (Committee Member) ________________________________ Dr. Judy Suh Professor of English (Committee Member) ________________________________ ________________________________ Dr. Christopher Duncan Dr. Magali Cornier Michael Dean, McAnulty Graduate School of Chair, Department of English Liberal Arts Professor of English iii ABSTRACT THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE GREAT HOUSE IN THE CONTEMPORARY POSTCOLONIAL NOVEL By Julie O’Neill Kloo December 2009 Dissertation supervised by Dr. Magali Cornier Michael This project explores the use of the symbol of the Western European Great House by contemporary postcolonial novelists and consists of four chapters, each focusing on the ways that the power structures connected to the Great House impact the lives of the characters in four different postcolonial locations: Ireland, South Africa, Puerto Rico, and India. The use of the Western European Great House in Edna O’Brien’s House of Splendid Isolation (1994), André Brink’s Imaginings of Sand (1996), Rosario Ferré’s The House on the Lagoon (1995), and Salman Rushdie’s The Moor’s Last Sigh (1995) reveals the continuing impact of colonial power structures in the wake of formal colonialism. The form and function of the houses in the novels provide insight into two key questions facing the postcolonial world: To what extent and in what forms are the power dynamics erected by Western European colonizers still operating? And, what can and should be iv done with the lingering power structures that divide and oppress by means of gender, race, and class? The Great House enables these writers to investigate and problematize the power structures it represents. The architectural settings reveal not only that the colonial power structures were never airtight and impervious but also that they still exist, even if in ruins, and must be dealt with. Bringing together novels set in diverse places exposes the continuing potency of the power structures erected through the colonial process while concurrently highlighting the differences in the ways the power structures operate in each specific postcolonial location. This project underscores the significance of architecture to postcolonial literary studies by highlighting the important relationship between the built environment and society. v DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my loving and supportive family. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am deeply grateful to my dissertation committee and the English Department of Duquesne University. My course work with the faculty, especially Dr. Magali Cornier Michael, Dr. Linda Kinnahan, and Dr. Daniel Watkins, is the foundation on which this project rests. I have benefited so much from their intellectual rigor and curiosity. My dissertation director, Magali Cornier Michael, introduced me to postcolonial literature and theory and continually challenged and encouraged me in my pursuit of the subject. This project came together in large part due to her guidance and keen editorial skills. The other members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Judy Suh and Dr. Laura Callanan, provided excellent feedback and raised crucial thought-provoking questions that deepened my understanding of the issues I wrestled with and improved my dissertation significantly. I am so fortunate to have had such knowledgeable and insightful mentors. I have also benefited greatly from having had the opportunity to work alongside amazing graduate students, many of whom have had a significant impact on this project. Dr. Stephen Wells’s encouragement and sense of humor lifted me up whenever I got bogged down in the process of writing. I learned so much from my fellow graduate students, especially Dr. Laurie McMillan, Dr. Kara Mollis, Anna Wukich, Dr. Amal Abdelrazek, Dr. Christine Cusick, and Dr. Kathy Pivak, in the classroom and out of it. Their brilliant work and success has been a constant source of inspiration. I will forever appreciate their friendship and their enthusiasm for my project. Finally, I must acknowledge my family. I thank my parents, Nancy and Paul O’Neill, for the love of learning they instilled in me and for the opportunities they have vii given me to see so much of the world. My father’s commitment to tackling seemingly impossibly complex social issues has influenced me greatly. This project is largely an off-shoot of his work. I could never have completed this dissertation without the loving support of my husband, Juergen, and my sons, Jay and Ian. They gave me time and space when I needed to work and were always there to make me laugh when I needed to play. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract.............................................................................................................................. iv Dedication.......................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgement ............................................................................................................ vii Introduction..........................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1: Community and Isolation in the Anglo-Irish Big House in Edna O’Brien’s House of Splendid Isolation....................................................................2 Chapter 2: Inside/Outside in André Brink’s Imaginings of Sand: Envisioning Post-Apartheid Reconciliation in the Great House..................................................7 Chapter 3: His and Hers: Gendered Positions of Power in Colonial/Neo-colonial Structures in The House on the Lagoon...............................................................134 Chapter 4: The Anglo-Indian Bungalow, the Skyscraper, and the Alhambra: Architecture and the Relationship Between Colonialism and Globalization in Salman Rushdie’s The Moor’s Last Sigh ........................................................199 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................261 ix The Architecture of the Great House in the Contemporary Postcolonial Novel “A work of architecture has a subplot as well as a plot.” Robert Venturi, architect1 During the 1970’s and 1980’s, many postcolonial critics focused their attention on the anxieties and problems associated with postcolonial writers’ use of Western European literary tools and conventions such as the novel, the bildungsroman, and the English, French, and Spanish languages. Debates swirled around issues of oppression and appropriation. Some postcolonial writers, like Kenyan Ngugi wa Thiong’o, in the spirit of nationalism and in an effort to end domination by Western culture, wholly rejected the styles and languages that they saw as participating in the perpetuation of colonial systems of oppression. Meanwhile, Nigerian Chinua Achebe and many others continued to employ Western European literary traditions and languages, arguing that, although these were thrust upon them through colonization, postcolonial writers could seize them and use them for their own purposes. The intensity of the discussions eased somewhat as the twentieth century drew to a close, whether due to a sense of resignation brought about by the realities of publishing and globalization, or as the problems associated with extreme nationalism became undeniable, or perhaps out of a sense that positioning oneself on either side of the debate carries with it a number of problems and concerns. Regardless of the reasons, many postcolonial writers continue to wrestle with the issues related to the colonial/postcolonial/neo-colonial experience using Western European literary forms and languages. My project looks specifically at the use of the symbol of the Western European Great House, and the structures of power associated 1 Quoted in David Bruce Brownlee’s Out of the Ordinary: Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown and Associates – Architecture, Urbanism, Design (17). 1 with it, in four postcolonial novels that explore various issues related to postcoloniality.2 In examining the form and function of the Western European Great Houses in Edna O’Brien’s House of Splendid Isolation (1994), André Brink’s Imaginings of Sand (1996),