Colonial representations of race, gender, and class in John Masters’ novels

This thesis examines the patterns within popular British literature of stereotypical racial and gendered representations in the colonial setting of British India. It will focus upon John Masters’ collection of novels, which centre around the British Savage family that have resided in India for generations, to illustrate colonial representations of gender, race and class. These novels, Coromandel!, The Deceivers, Nightrunners of Bengal, and Bhowani Junction, were chosen to be analysed as their author is an upper-middle class British male, who though was born and resided primarily in India, received a British public-school education and went on to pursue a successful military career. Not only does Masters' background explain some of the gendered representations found within his novel, but it also highlights how class was pivotal in strengthening these representations. After India’s independence from Britain in 1947, Masters moved to the United States where he wrote his successful saga set in British India, with two of the novels being adapted to Hollywood films. By highlighting the binary representations of gender, race, and class within these far-reaching novels, Masters provides an insight into the everyman’s intimate life, where the politics of the states are played out and emphasised. The novels depict a highly racist and sexist environment within British India, whereby people of colour and women are perceived as inferior and therefore deserving of abuse. Although Masters at times seems sympathetic to Indian characters, he never reserves the same treatment for women. Whilst many in the field have looked at the racist elements of colonial literature, there is a gap in the representations of women and the sexual violence they faced during this time, and after. Furthermore, Masters novels definitely hint at an imperialistic longing, and also the ‘White Man’s burden’ of civilising savages. Through a close reading analysis of the literature, we are able to see how the language used helped further the ideas of a stereotypical Indian, Briton, man, and woman, emphasising a male Eurocentric superiority, and ultimately a justification for the British empire’s rule.