Grotesque Britain: National decline and the post-imperial imagination

The post-imperial grotesque, a previously unacknowledged representational practice in twentieth-century British writing, is used by writers who attempt to reshape the British national imaginary in order to engage critically with the central discursive structures supporting British imperial identity. A number of writers throughout the twentieth century, from Joseph Conrad and Graham Greene to Doris Lessing and Angela Carter, use this imagery to enact a reversal of perspective: whereas traditionally the alien or foreigner, when viewed from the perspective of the national center, is represented as monstrous, these writers prefer to stand in the margins and view the central narratives of British national identity as grotesque. They tie traditional defining traits of Britishness to grotesque imagery, which sometimes includes literally monstrous characters, such as a winged woman, but also takes the form of repulsive contradictions or exaggerations, such as excessive obesity or violence from children. Such writers intervene in the post-imperial consciousness of national decline by showing decline as the result of imperial practices, not as the result of the loss of empire. However, such representations display an internal conflict between a desire for national renewal and an attraction to self-punishment. Identifying the characteristics of this "post-imperial grotesque" and analyzing their function in several of the most characteristic novels accomplishes two broad goals: (1) a deeper understanding of how the narrative of decline functions within the national imaginary, and(2) a more refined account of how the grotesque and monstrous can be an effective agent for social change. In relation to the former, the post-imperial grotesque registers and critiques social anxieties about the loss of empire by depicting the imperial past as itself monstrous and decadent. Thus, for these writers, the narrative of decline serves as an impetus for both self-flagellation and the starting point for national renewal. However, in terms of the latter, the grotesque itself, as a formal structure, undermines some of the positive intentions of these writers. The divisiveness of the monster image reinforces categorical distinctions and encourages melancholic disgust at alien elements within the national self rather than building new imaginative connections between groups for social renewal.