She (Oxford World's Classics)
by H. Rider Haggard
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Book Summary Information
Author: H. Rider HaggardEditor: Daniel Karlin
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-08-01
ISBN: 0199536422
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of She (Oxford World's Classics)
Book Review: Haggard's View of the World
Summary: 3 Stars
"She" has to be read in context. It was written during a time when British imperial machinations were facing severe criticism, both at home and abroad. Perhaps more importantly, the novel was written at a time when British women were beginning to demand rights--particularly the right to birth control.
Haggard sets up Ayesha (the title character) as a sort of anti-Victoria. Britain's Queen was fond of remarking that she considered her role as mother more important than her role as Queen. She also made many public statements decrying the women's movement. Perhaps most importantly to Haggard, Queen Victoria's political power was directly subordinate to the all-male Parliament.
Ayesha, on the other hand, wields absolute power. Haggard intentionally perverts her role as a mother by having her admit to breading races of mutants, some of which she has allowed to go extinct. While Queen Victoria stood as a symbol of motherhood to many English, Ayesha is instead depicted using the language of death. She is described as "mummy-like," or "ghost-like," and her throne is located in the tombs of an abandoned civilization.
Ayesha and her people are often shown as direct opposites of the English. English progress and science (which Haggard makes reference to throughout the book, either openly or obliquely) is juxtaposed with Ayesha's people. Ayesha has supposedly lived over 2,000 years, yet her people have no technological advancements.
With this in mind, "She" can be seen as a reactionary novel responding to the crises of Haggard's Victorian society. The threat of the women's movement and the threatened future of imperialism were sources of great anxiety for the Victorians, and this deeply routed fear is evident in Haggard's use of Kôr as a form of anti-utopia. The dichotomies and comparisons that he presents show a Victorian society at a crossroads, and Haggard's views on which path should be taken are evident.
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