Imagining the missionary hero : juvenile missionary biographies, c.1870-1917
This thesis examines the fascinating and complex body of work surrounding the missionary hero as a product of late imperial ideas of the heroic produced in the form of biography. It will concentrate upon how the literature was appropriated, reproduced and disseminated via the Sunday school network to working-class children between 1870 and 1917. It will discuss how biographers through imaginative narrative strategies and the reframing of the biography as an adventure story, were able to offer children a physical exemplar and self-sacrificial hero who dispensed clear imperial ideas and moral values. This thesis will reflect upon how the narratives embedded in dominant discourses provided working-class children with imperial ideologies including ideas of citizenship and self-help which it will argue allowed groups of Sunday school readers to feel part of an imagined community. In doing so, the thesis sheds important new light on a central point of contention in the considerable and often heated discussion that has developed since the 1980s around the impact of empire on British people. Through an analysis of common themes it will also consider the depiction of women missionaries, asking whether biographical
McColl, Julie Anne
Imagining the missionary hero : juvenile missionary biographies, c.1870-1917. This thesis examines the fascinating and complex body of work surrounding the missionary hero as a product of late imperial ideas of the heroic produced in the form of biography. It will concentrate upon how the literature was appropriated, reproduced and disseminated via the Sunday school network to working-class children between 1870 and 1917. It will discuss how biographers through imaginative narrative strategies and the reframing of the biography as an adventure story, were able to offer children a physical exemplar and self-sacrificial hero who dispensed clear imperial ideas and moral values. This thesis will reflect upon how the narratives embedded in dominant discourses provided working-class children with imperial ideologies including ideas of citizenship and self-help which it will argue allowed groups of Sunday school readers to feel part of an imagined community. In doing so, the thesis sheds important new light on a central point of contention in the considerable and often heated discussion that has developed since the 1980s around the impact of empire on British people. Through an analysis of common themes it will also consider the depiction of women missionaries, asking whether biographical
imagining missionary hero juvenile missionary biography examines fascinate complex body_work surround missionary hero product late imperial idea heroic produce form biography concentrate_upon literature appropriate reproduce disseminated via sunday school network working_class child discuss biographer imaginative narrative strategy reframing biography adventure story able offer child physical exemplar self sacrificial hero clear imperial idea moral_value reflect_upon narrative embed dominant discourse provide working_class child imperial ideology include idea_citizenship self_help argue allow group sunday school reader feel part imagine community shed important new_light central point_contention considerable often heat discussion develop since around impact empire_british people analysis common_theme also_consider depiction woman missionary ask_whether biographical