colonialist’s perspective. His chosen form for this documentation of his perception of the complexities of Malaysian society at such a crucial time in its history was the realistic novel, a genre he almost certainly chose after reading novels about the region: of what they [Burgess and his wife] knew about Asia and the British colonial “most territories came out of other people’s books: Somerset Maugham’s Malayan short … stories; Joseph Conrad’s trilogy of Malayan novels and the works of Rudyard Kipling.” … (Biswell 154) Burgess, quoted here by A. K. Biltoo, wanted to write a about the races of Malaya, as “story exemplified in characters who have, or had, counterparts in real life” (229). Evidently, capturing the reality of life in Malaysia was crucial for Burgess. Realism character and “emphasises … insists on experience, fact and the skeptical view” (“Realism” 732) and Burgess was to draw on his experiences as a teacher for the Colonial Service in Malaya” (Roughley 59) in “heavily writing The Malayan Trilogy. Burgess’s use of realism was also inspired by his high regard for Greene’s writing (if not his religious belief): greatly admired the novels of Graham Greene” (Burgess, Little Wilson “I 365). One of those novels was The Heart of the Matter, which was so influential on him that he mistakenly believed his Malayan pupils would be equally enthralled by what Burgess and the vast majority of Western scholarship at that time generally regarded as an example of literature that be readily comprehensible to all readers in all places, regardless of their cultural “would background” (Biswell 162). Victor Crabbe shares this belief in western logic, regardless of its seeming lack of effectiveness. He firmly believes in its superiority over eastern thinking -- “logic was a Western importation which, unlike films and refrigerators, had a small market” (Burgess,
colonialist’s perspective. His chosen form for this documentation of his perception of the complexities of Malaysian society at such a crucial time in its history was the realistic novel, a genre he almost certainly chose after reading novels about the region: “most of what they [Burgess and his wife] knew about Asia and the British colonial territories came out of other people’s books: … Somerset Maugham’s Malayan short stories; Joseph Conrad’s trilogy of Malayan novels … and the works of Rudyard Kipling.” (Biswell 154) Burgess, quoted here by A. K. Biltoo, wanted to write a “story about the races of Malaya, as exemplified in characters who have, or had, counterparts in real life” (229). Evidently, capturing the reality of life in Malaysia was crucial for Burgess. Realism “emphasises character … and insists on experience, fact and the skeptical view” (“Realism” 732) and Burgess was to draw “heavily on his experiences as a teacher for the Colonial Service in Malaya” (Roughley 59) in writing The Malayan Trilogy. Burgess’s use of realism was also inspired by his high regard for Greene’s writing (if not his religious belief): “I greatly admired the novels of Graham Greene” (Burgess, Little Wilson 365). One of those novels was The Heart of the Matter, which was so influential on him that he mistakenly believed his Malayan pupils would be equally enthralled by what Burgess and the vast majority of Western scholarship at that time generally regarded as an example of literature that “would be readily comprehensible to all readers in all places, regardless of their cultural background” (Biswell 162). Victor Crabbe shares this belief in western logic, regardless of its seeming lack of effectiveness. He firmly believes in its superiority over eastern thinking -- “logic was a Western importation which, unlike films and refrigerators, had a small market” (Burgess,
Anthony-Burgess-The-postcolonial-colonialist.docx