Home Literary Studies 22 Phebe Gibbes, Hartly House, Calcutta (1789)
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

22 Phebe Gibbes, Hartly House, Calcutta (1789)

  • Norbert Schürer
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
Explore this Subject How to publish with us
Handbook of the British Novel in the Long Eighteenth Century
This chapter is in the book Handbook of the British Novel in the Long Eighteenth Century

Abstract

Hartly House, Calcutta is the first English novel clearly written with knowledge gained from experience in, and scholarly engagement with, South Asia. There, the East India Company had established a “company state” in the second half of the eighteenth century, which meant that it controlled various provinces of the subcontinent with (forced) permission from the Mughal emperor. The novel’s motifs are drawn from this context: Sophia, the protagonist of Hartly House, travels to Calcutta and learns about Indian customs and religions. She falls in love with a Hindu Brahmin and imagines herself beloved by a Muslim local ruler, but eventually marries a British partner. The novel supports former Governor General Warren Hastings, who was on trial in London for corruption and abuse of power. By creating a dialog (in Mikhail Bakhtin’s sense) between the discourses of the sentimental novel, the travel narrative, and political history, which pursue different goals and support different ideologies, Hartly House undermines the monologic discourses of Orientalism, imperialism, and patriarchy.

Abstract

Hartly House, Calcutta is the first English novel clearly written with knowledge gained from experience in, and scholarly engagement with, South Asia. There, the East India Company had established a “company state” in the second half of the eighteenth century, which meant that it controlled various provinces of the subcontinent with (forced) permission from the Mughal emperor. The novel’s motifs are drawn from this context: Sophia, the protagonist of Hartly House, travels to Calcutta and learns about Indian customs and religions. She falls in love with a Hindu Brahmin and imagines herself beloved by a Muslim local ruler, but eventually marries a British partner. The novel supports former Governor General Warren Hastings, who was on trial in London for corruption and abuse of power. By creating a dialog (in Mikhail Bakhtin’s sense) between the discourses of the sentimental novel, the travel narrative, and political history, which pursue different goals and support different ideologies, Hartly House undermines the monologic discourses of Orientalism, imperialism, and patriarchy.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Editors’ Preface V
  3. Contents VII
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I: Systematic Questions
  6. 1 The Novel and Liberty: Individual Freedom and Civic Order 21
  7. 2 The Novel and Sense(s): Reason, Sentiment, and Subjectivity 41
  8. 3 The Novel and Intimacy: Gender, Sexuality, and Queer Readings 65
  9. 4 The Novel and Cultural Encounters: Colonialism, Cosmopolitanism, and the Other 85
  10. 5 The Novel and the Literary Marketplace: Print Culture, Popular Reading, and an Emerging British Canon 107
  11. 6 The Novel and the Environment: Nature, Cultivation, and Alien Ecologies 123
  12. Part II: Close Readings
  13. 7 Aphra Behn, Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave (1688) 141
  14. 8 Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe Trilogy (1719‒1720) 157
  15. 9 Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels (1726) 175
  16. 10 Samuel Richardson, Clarissa, or The History of a Young Lady (1747–1748) 193
  17. 11 Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling (1749) 211
  18. 12 Eliza Haywood, The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless (1751) 229
  19. 13 Robert Paltock, The Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins (1751) 243
  20. 14 Charlotte Lennox, The Female Quixote (1752) 259
  21. 15 Samuel Johnson, The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia (1759) 279
  22. 16 Sarah Scott, Millenium Hall (1762) 295
  23. 17 Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1759–1767) 311
  24. 18 Frances Brooke, The History of Emily Montague (1769) 327
  25. 19 Henry Mackenzie, The Man of Feeling (1771) 347
  26. 20 Tobias Smollett, The Expedition of Humphry Clinker (1771) 365
  27. 21 Frances Burney, Evelina (1778) 381
  28. 22 Phebe Gibbes, Hartly House, Calcutta (1789) 399
  29. 23 Ann Radcliffe, The Romance of the Forest (1791) 417
  30. 24 Charlotte Smith, Desmond (1792) 435
  31. 25 Mary Wollstonecraft, Maria: or, The Wrongs of Woman (1798) 449
  32. 26 William Earle, Obi; or The History of Three-Fingered Jack (1800) 467
  33. 27 Anonymous, The Woman of Colour; A Tale (1808) 483
  34. 28 Maria Edgeworth, Ormond (1817) 499
  35. 29 Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy (1817; revised 1829–1830) 519
  36. 30 Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (1818) 539
  37. 31 Jane Austen, Persuasion (1818) 557
  38. Index of Names 575
  39. Index of Subjects 583
  40. List of Contributors 595
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110650440-023

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Editors’ Preface V
  3. Contents VII
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I: Systematic Questions
  6. 1 The Novel and Liberty: Individual Freedom and Civic Order 21
  7. 2 The Novel and Sense(s): Reason, Sentiment, and Subjectivity 41
  8. 3 The Novel and Intimacy: Gender, Sexuality, and Queer Readings 65
  9. 4 The Novel and Cultural Encounters: Colonialism, Cosmopolitanism, and the Other 85
  10. 5 The Novel and the Literary Marketplace: Print Culture, Popular Reading, and an Emerging British Canon 107
  11. 6 The Novel and the Environment: Nature, Cultivation, and Alien Ecologies 123
  12. Part II: Close Readings
  13. 7 Aphra Behn, Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave (1688) 141
  14. 8 Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe Trilogy (1719‒1720) 157
  15. 9 Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels (1726) 175
  16. 10 Samuel Richardson, Clarissa, or The History of a Young Lady (1747–1748) 193
  17. 11 Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling (1749) 211
  18. 12 Eliza Haywood, The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless (1751) 229
  19. 13 Robert Paltock, The Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins (1751) 243
  20. 14 Charlotte Lennox, The Female Quixote (1752) 259
  21. 15 Samuel Johnson, The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia (1759) 279
  22. 16 Sarah Scott, Millenium Hall (1762) 295
  23. 17 Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1759–1767) 311
  24. 18 Frances Brooke, The History of Emily Montague (1769) 327
  25. 19 Henry Mackenzie, The Man of Feeling (1771) 347
  26. 20 Tobias Smollett, The Expedition of Humphry Clinker (1771) 365
  27. 21 Frances Burney, Evelina (1778) 381
  28. 22 Phebe Gibbes, Hartly House, Calcutta (1789) 399
  29. 23 Ann Radcliffe, The Romance of the Forest (1791) 417
  30. 24 Charlotte Smith, Desmond (1792) 435
  31. 25 Mary Wollstonecraft, Maria: or, The Wrongs of Woman (1798) 449
  32. 26 William Earle, Obi; or The History of Three-Fingered Jack (1800) 467
  33. 27 Anonymous, The Woman of Colour; A Tale (1808) 483
  34. 28 Maria Edgeworth, Ormond (1817) 499
  35. 29 Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy (1817; revised 1829–1830) 519
  36. 30 Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (1818) 539
  37. 31 Jane Austen, Persuasion (1818) 557
  38. Index of Names 575
  39. Index of Subjects 583
  40. List of Contributors 595
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 27.12.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110650440-023/html
Scroll to top button