Manhood and Misogyny in the Imperialist Romance

Abstract

Female characters appear in all genres of popular literature, but the roles they are assigned seldom present women in a very favorable light. With the exception of the sentimental romance or love a form specifically aimed at a female audience women do not usually figure as protagonists. Instead their function is to support, or to foil, the actions of male heroes in a variety of ways. We are familiar with stereotypes such as the schoolmarm and the saloon girl in the western, as well as the murder victim, the helpful secretary, and the gun moll in detective fiction. One kind of formulaic literature, however, that, while not so familiar to readers today, was wildly popular in its time and is perhaps more revealing than any of the others in its portrayal of women. The imperialist romance,1 which flourished between 1880 and 1920 (but continued long afterward), is essentially an adventure story involving the exploration by Europeans of previously uncharted regions. In the typical imperialist romance, first popularized by H. Rider Haggard, a band of white men enters a primitive region and ultimately establishes a degree of influence among the natives. The Europeans' goals are usually ambivalent: the intention to convert the heathen or establish a benevolent order is frequently associated with an equally strong desire for wealth and power. Often the white men stumble upon ruins of an ancient civilization (presumed to be white), and just as often, they encounter two native factions one barbarous, the other willing to be civilized by the European visitors. The popularity of the imperialist