IMPERIAL SCAFFOLDING: THE INDIAN MUTINY OF 1857, THE MUTINY NOVEL, AND THE PERFORMANCE OF BRITISH POWER A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Jennifer H. Pauley-Gose June 2006 This dissertation entitled IMPERIAL SCAFFOLDING: THE INDIAN MUTINY OF 1857, THE MUTINY NOVEL, AND THE PERFORMANCE OF BRITISH POWER by JENNIFER H. PAULEY-GOSE has been approved for the Department of English and the College of Arts and Sciences by Joseph P. McLaughlin Associate Professor of English Benjamin M. Ogles Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Abstract PAULEY-GOSE, JENNIFER H., Ph.D., June 2006, English IMPERIAL SCAFFOLDING: THE INDIAN MUTINY OF 1857, THE MUTINY NOVEL, AND THE PERFORMANCE OF BRITISH POWER (207 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Joseph P. McLaughlin This dissertation explores the British representations of the Indian Mutiny through an examination of the English novel, interspersed with careful attention to the media coverage of the Mutiny and personal accounts of the uprising. I argue that the Mutiny novel in particular becomes a stage on which the issues of race, gender, and culture are enacted. Throughout my project I utilize the guiding metaphor of the imperial scaffold, which is both “a stage where theatrical productions take place” and also “a platform that aids in the repair or the erection a building” (OED). The imperial scaffold operates in these novels as a system of rhetorical principles–primarily set up through the binary of East versus West—that seeks to reaffirm, reconstruct, and eventually re-imagine British imperial ideals. Through an examination of four Mutiny novels, my project argues that Mutiny novelists, as well as newspaper reporters, employ a rhetorical framework in their writing that attempts to reaffirm British imperial power, but that also exposes the “fissures” in imperial ideology at the same time. Approved: Joseph P. McLaughlin Associate Professor of English Acknowledgements I would like to extend a sincere thank you to those who helped me complete this project. I owe particular gratitude to Joseph McLaughlin, my dissertation director, who has helped me shape this dissertation for the past three years, and who has given me the freedom to find my voice as a scholar while still providing me with valuable insight into the nineteenth century. Thanks, Joe, for your encouragement, and for your kindness. My committee members—Carey Snyder, Nicole Reynolds, and Kathleen Sullivan—have also dedicated many hours to my project; I thank them for their helpful feedback and positivity. I would also like to extend a special thank you to Josie Bloomfield for her behind-the-scenes efforts and commitment to my success as a student. This project most certainly would not have reached completion without the generous help of Candace Stewart, who has facilitated my writing group for the past three years. Candace is a giving spirit, and she has taught me the importance of mentoring and self-acceptance. To her I owe my ability to critically read my own work. Most importantly, she reminded me to believe in myself at times when it felt nearly impossible. I have learned a great deal from Candace, and hope, as my career as a scholar begins, to give back to others just a little piece of what she has given to me. Candace truly exemplifies what it means to be a scholar, teacher, and mentor. You are the best, Candace! My heart is filled with gratitude particularly for my writing group members— Beth Koonce, Anna Dzirkalis, and Hayley Haugen—who have encouraged me to keep writing and stay focused, and who have inspired me with their own work. Most importantly, they have helped remind me to laugh and enjoy the process. The countless hours they have spent reading and commenting on my work reaffirm my faith in the collaborative process, and in the power of friendship. I also owe a considerable thank you to a woman who has offered an unlimited supply of support as I entered the final stages of this process. Sherrie Gradin, who has served as my supervisor for the past year, has provided much encouragement, support, and advice as I drew close to the finish line, and has given me the flexibility I needed at work to be able to finish my project in a timely fashion. Thank you, Sherrie. I would also like to extend a special thank you to my parents, Jack and Mary Pauley, for their love of learning, for lending an ear during numerous phone calls, and for providing encouragement throughout my education. I would not have made it through the last year without such wonderful parents. This project is for both of you. To the Lord Jesus Christ, without whom nothing would be possible. 7 Table of Contents Page Abstract.............................................................................................................................. 3 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 4 List of Figures.................................................................................................................... 8 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 9 Indian Mutiny as Victorian Theatre: The Performance of Gender Roles and Transgression in Meadows Taylor’s Seeta ................................................................... 30 The Performance of Racism and Cultural Apathy: An Examination of British Women in Seeta.......................................................................................................................... 35 Seeta as Solution: The Performance of the Ideal Wife................................................. 42 The Performance of Transgression (and Transvestitism) in Seeta ............................... 58 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 69 Exposing the Imperial Scaffold: Media Coverage of the Indian Mutiny and The Moonstone’s Eyewitness Account .................................................................................. 74 “An Avalanche of Print”: The Dissemination of Newspapers, Sensation, and The Moonstone..................................................................................................................... 78 Multi-layering, Imperial Scaffolding and Gabriel Betteredge...................................... 96 “Sacred Regard for Truth”: Collins’ Suspicion of the Eyewitness Account ............. 102 Giving Voice to the Voiceless: Collins’ Three Hindus and Ezra Jennings ................ 113 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 119 The Performance of Empire Via Domesticity: The Cawnpore Massacre of 1857, Miss Wheeler and Lady Audley’s Secret...................................................................... 121 The Spectacle of Domestic Empire and the Exposure of British Flaws in Lady Audley’s Secret........................................................................................................................... 140 The Performance of Sepoy, Imperialist, and Empire Turning on Empire in the Domestic Sphere ......................................................................................................... 146 Dismantling the Imperial Scaffold and Re-imagining Imperialism: An Examination of Henry Seton Merriman’s Flotsam: The Story of a Life ......................................... 166 The Military and the British Family: the Collapse of the East/West Binary.............. 172 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 204 8 List of Figures Figure Page Figure 1: Miss Wheeler defending herself against the Mutineers...……………………135 Figure 2: Empire turning on Empire……………………………………………………191 9 Introduction This project examines representations of the Indian Mutiny, through the Mutiny novel in particular, and the ways the Mutiny novel serves as a stage of performance that allowed British authorities to re-instate their power in the aftermath of the revolt. I’ve chosen to focus on representations of the Mutiny as they appear in the British novel, since this fictional space allows a window into British representations of Indians, but also British representations of themselves and their own culture in a way that can be traced throughout the century. Because such a great number of Mutiny novels were written during the period, unlike histories, chronicles and diaries, which were written either directly following the uprising or more sporadically throughout the remainder of the century, the novel provides a way to locate patterns and progression toward British culture, imperialism, and toward India and Indians. In addition, my choice to focus on the British novel is based on the lack of scholarship in this area. To date, there is no scholarship that interweaves Mutiny novels with canonical novels of the time, while also interweaving a careful analysis of the media coverage and eyewitness accounts of the uprising. My aim is to help close this gap, and to demonstrate how Mutiny novels deserve further study not only because of their importance to British history, but because of the way they converge with larger issues of the period such as British imperialism and nation building, racial Othering, and even English domesticity. The