Genesis of a Discourse: the Tempest and the Emergence of Postcoloniality

Genesis of a Discourse: The Tempest and the Emergence of Postcoloniality By Judith Anne Pocock A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor Philosophy, Graduate Department of English, University of Toronto © Copyright by Judith Pocock 2010 Genesis of a Discourse: The Tempest and the Emergence of Postcoloniality Judith Anne Pocock Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of English University of Toronto 2010 Abstract This dissertation contends that The Tempest by William Shakespeare plays a seminal role in the development of postcolonial literature and criticism because it was created in a moment when the colonial system that was now falling apart was just beginning to come into being. Creative writers and critics from the Third World, particularly Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America, and the First found that the moment reflected in The Tempest had something very specific to say to a generation coming of age in the postcolonial world of the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. I establish that a significant discourse that begins in the Nineteenth Century and intensifies in the Twentieth depends on The Tempest to explore the nature of colonialism and to develop an understanding of the postcolonial world. I then examine the role theories of adaptation play in understanding why The Tempest assumes such a crucial role and determine that the most useful model of adaptation resembles the method developed by biblical typologists which “sets two successive historical events [or periods] into a reciprocal relation of anticipation and fulfillment” (Brumm 27). I ague that postcolonial writers and critics found in The Tempest evidence of a history of colonial oppression and resistance often obscured by established historical narratives and a venue to explore their relationship to their past, present, and future. Because my argument rests on the contention that The Tempest was ii created in a world where colonialism was coming into being, I explore the historical context surrounding the moment of the play’s creation and determine, in spite of the contention of many historians and some literary critics to the contrary, the forces bringing colonialism into being were already at play and were having a profound effect. After briefly illustrating the historical roots of several popular themes in The Tempest that postcolonial writers have embraced, I turn to the work of writers and critics from the Third World and the First to show how The Tempest plays a significant role in postcolonial studies. iii Acknowledgements The journey that culminates with this thesis has been a long one, and there are many who have supported me along the way. First I would like to thank my committee. My supervisor Chelva Kanaganayakam was always there to support, challenge, and encourage me. He somehow knew exactly the right question to ask, point to emphasize, or book to press into my hand. Whenever I got discouraged or unsure about where to go next, he knew just how to gently push me in the right direction. And the wonderful Jill Levenson: a chapter read and responded to by Jill is a work of art. Nothing is missed from the smallest error to the idea that just does not quite work and all is delivered with respectful and nurturing consideration. Her contagious enthusiasm for literature in general and Shakespeare in particular inspired me at every point in this process. And I will always be grateful for Neil ten Kortenaar’s enthusiastic engagement with my work and his willingness to both get excited about things he liked and challenge me about things he found wanting. And thanks to the useful critique provided by my External Examiner, Rahul Sapra and the thoughtful contributions to my Defence made by Deidre Lynch and Christian Campbell. I would also like to thank the faculty and students of the University of Toronto’s English Department. My fellow students were so accepting and my many wonderful teachers were an inspiration. Among the many who helped, I would like to single out Alexandra Peat, Archana Rampure, and Ronda Ward. All three read my many drafts and gave me useful feedback and were always ready to listen and discuss my dissertation’s various twists and turns. Not only was their scholarly advice invaluable, their unfailing friendship saw me through not just the ups and downs of this dissertation but the ups and downs of my life. There were some difficult times along the way and without the support of several of my fellow students and faculty like Linda Hutcheon and Elizabeth Harvey I might have given up. iv Along with Pearl Levy they provided me with the supportive environment that allowed me to go on and be successful No tribute to those that helped me would be complete without acknowledging my extended union family in CUPE 3902. Together we struggled to support each other as both social activists and academics. Without the support and comradeship of people like Bobby, Chantal, Giovanna, Wayne, Paul, Anil, Lisa, Leslie, Vanessa, and Jen my graduate student years would have been very different indeed. Among the many who encouraged me, my beloved book club was there without fail through the whole process. This band of sisters—Yvette, Penni, Anne, Roz, Alice, Lorna, Linda, Zelda, and Sharon—provided a foundation from which to face challenges whether personal, political, or academic. Along with my dear friend Lynn Barrett, their support sustained and nurtured me through this long process. And finally I want to thank the love and unwavering support provided by my daughter Sarah Watson and my son Paul Watson. Whenever I have become discouraged or unsure they were both there, along with Sarah’s wonderful partner Mike Stringer, to encourage me to keep on keeping on. Along with my two wonderful children, I dedicate this dissertation to the memory of my mother Nancy Meek Pocock and my dad John Pocock. A love of literature and a commitment to social justice were gifts they gave me from the very beginning of my life. I share whatever I have accomplished with them. v Genesis of a Discourse: The Tempest and the Emergence of Postcoloniality Table of Contents Introduction: The Tempest and the Genesis of the Postcolonial 1 Chapter 1: The Development of a Discourse “From Seeds of Exile and Paradox”: Some Travels with the Postcolonial Tempest 9 Chapter 2: Text as Event: Postcolonial Typology and Adaptation as Revelation 40 Chapter 3: The Tempest’s 1611 Moment 72 Chapter 4: The 1611 Colonial Types of The Tempest 131 Chapter 5: Postcolonial Typology in Practice: The Tempest’s 1960s–1970s Moments 144 Chapter 6: Postcolonial Typology in Practice: Women Take Their Turn 192 Last Words: The Tempest Continues its Travels 228 Works Cited 232 vi 1 Introduction The Tempest and the Genesis of the Postcolonial For a generation of postcolonial1 writers and literary critics in Great Britain, the United States, and the Third World, The Tempest proved to be a central tool in defining the nature of colonialism and the relationships constructed by that system. For both critics and creative writers of the 1960s, 1970s, and into the 1980s, The Tempest became a means to explore and develop an understanding of the nature of the postcolonial world after 1945. It also has served as a vehicle, particularly for Third World writers, for the overthrow of colonial ideology and an assertion of the ideological perspective of the oppressed. Although The Tempest has been used to explore the nature of colonialism both before and after these decades, there is arguably a Tempest moment in this period when the play becomes a dynamic catalyst that facilitates the birth of new ways of thinking, both creatively and critically. In the critical world, it becomes a site of ideological struggle between the “left” and “right” that grows so intense that critics like Francis Barker and Peter Hulme denounce those who do not accept that The Tempest is “imbricated within the discourse of colonialism” as “complicit . with colonialist ideology” (243). In the emerging world of postcolonial literature, the play provides a matrix to explore the struggle to overthrow colonialism and imperialism and to create a new society. 1 I have used the term “postcolonial” in this project as an umbrella term to link a variety of responses in literature, criticism, and politics to the disintegration of colonial empires after the Second World War. In using this term I do not mean to conflate the variety of perspectives on this phenomenon emerging from very different contexts. A number of critics have pointed to the problematic nature of the term and insisted that when used loosely or uncritically, it can imply correspondences that do not exist. Since the publication of The Empire Writes Back, a critical debate has emerged, that, while acknowledging the groundbreaking nature of this study, sees it as implicitly endorsing a singular response to the crisis in colonialism. With my use of the term I in no way wish to negate the importance of this critical debate and in fact, particularly in the last two chapters of this dissertation, note how this debate plays out in the context of creative as well as theoretical work. 2 Hugh Grady in his study of Shakespeare’s history plays argues that these early modern plays “constitute an intervention within our own theoretical discourses on these [same] topics within late modernity [1990]” (3). Just as Grady contends that the clash of ideas contained within Shakespeare’s history plays has a particular relevance to discursive debates in the 1990s, one can argue that The Tempest has an even more intense “moment,” and acts out an even more significant “intervention,” in the debates and struggles that created postcolonialism in the 1960s and 1970s.

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