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| author | Carol Lynn Biederstadt |
| title | Paradoxical Orientalism: Gender and Power in George Orwell's Burmese Days |
| abstract | In this dissertation I argue that despite George Orwell's purported hatred of imperialism, the result of the
ideological metamorphosis he underwent while serving as an Imperial Police officer in colonial Burma, many of the imperialist and Orientalist
attitudes that he so vehemently condemned are abundantly evident in his novel Burmese Days, particularly in respect to his treatment of women.
Specifically, I argue that the female character Ma Hla May, described as Flory's Burmese "mistress," whom scholars have been consistent in labeling
with a range of pejoratives, was depicted solely through the Western male gaze and is in fact widely misunderstood. Drawing on historical, legal,
cultural, and linguistic evidence to support my claims, I attempt to give voice to the subaltern by building a framework with which the perspective
of Ma Hla May can be considered, arguing that subjected to multiple layers of Orientalism as both a colonial subject and a white man's "mistress,"
she was in fact much more a victim than she was a villain. In the final chapter of this study I present an overview of the history of concubinage
in the British Raj in an attempt to shed light on Orwell's likely motives for depicting her in this manner before presenting evidence to dispute
the notion that Flory's treatment of Ma Hla May was the result of a cross-cultural misunderstanding. I argue that Flory, informed by the experiences
and beliefs of the author himself, knew well how Ma Hla May would have viewed their relationship. The implications of this are significant, for Orwell's
tacit approbation of Flory's behavior suggests that his legendary affinity for the oppressed did not apply to women. |
| school | The Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, Drew University |
| degree | D.Litt. (2017) |
| advisors | Frank Occhiogrosso
Karen Pechilis |
| full text | CLBiederstadt.pdf |
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