English Identity After Britain: Restructuring Englishness in the 20th Century

Abstract

This dissertation explores how writers in early 20th-century Britain grappled with nationalism, particularly its relationship to English national identity. I analyze how authors during this pivotal moment in British history attempt to disentangle or redefine concepts of patriotism, nationalism, and national identity. I explore the tensions between ethnic and civic forms of nationalism and how authors navigated this divide. Grounded in critical nationalism studies drawing on the work of theorists like Benedict Anderson, Michel Foucault, Craig Calhoun, and Stuart Hall, I conduct close readings of both fiction and non-fiction, focusing on how writers engage with ideas of Englishness. Chapter One considers how George Orwell attempted to harness national identification for left-wing politics—with particular attention to his attempt to distinguish between “patriotism” and “nationalism”—and examines the difficulties of such an approach. In chapter two, I explore how Virginia Woolf rejected both patriotism and nationalism, in favour of a cosmopolitan project that retained national identity while also promoting a “global citizen” ethos. In chapter three, I discuss J.R.R. Tolkien’s focus on creating a national myth for England, separating Englishness from the larger imperial category of “Britishness.” This chapter also explores Tolkien’s use of fantasy to enact what he called a “recovery” for national identity, looking backward in the style of Romantic Nationalism but using it progressively. Lastly, chapter four turns to Scottish and Irish case studies via the work of Hugh MacDiarmid and James Joyce, in order to provide a point of comparison for the English writers’ projects and the complex relation between their versions of “Englishness” and anticolonial nationalisms from elsewhere in the home empire. I argue that while the English authors studied might not have been entirely successful in articulating an English national identity separate from imperial Britishness, their efforts demonstrate a potential for a progressive use of national identity. These writers were aware of nations as rhetorical constructs. They sought to use this understanding to cultivate an ethics of care at home rather than a defensive or expansionist attitude abroad. The work of these authors demonstrates how literature can shape, critique, and reimagine national identity. Completely separating national identity from its problematic aspects may not always be possible or desirable. While acknowledging that risk, this study shows that national identity can potentially be mobilized for progressive purposes and to foster an ethics of care.