Date of Award
Summer 8-2014
Degree Type
Masters Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
Committee Chair
Alexandra Valint
Committee Chair Department
English
Committee Member 2
Allison Abra
Committee Member 2 Department
History
Committee Member 3
Ellen Weinauer
Committee Member 3 Department
English
Abstract
This thesis argues Richard Marsh’s Victorian novel The Beetle offers a critique of British colonial practices through the reverse colonization experiences had by British characters in the novel. Intrusive, exploitative actions perpetrated by the British subjects in the novel invite reciprocal mental and physical invasions from the female colonized subject. These encounters serve as metaphors for British imperialism, and the fear and loathing for the colonized subject felt by the British characters reveals anxiety felt by Victorian England regarding colonial subjects. The monstrous acts of the colonized subject mirror the exploitation of British imperialism, which ultimately critiques the practice.
Copyright
2014, Kelsie Leigh Dove
Recommended Citation
Dove, Kelsie Leigh, "Fear of the Colonized Other in Richard Marsh's The Beetle" (2014). Master's Theses. 50.
https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/50