Violence and Betrayal: Translation as a Window into Understanding Colonialism in R. F. Kuang’s Babel, or the Necessity of Violence
Violence and Betrayal: Translation as a Window into Understanding Colonialism in R. F. Kuang’s Babel, or the Necessity of Violence

Summary/Abstract: In this article I explore the ways in which the concept of translation is utilized throughout R. F. Kuang’s novel Babel, or the Necessity of Violence, a work of speculative fiction which explores the colonial relations between Britain and China in the 19th century, in order to facilitate the understanding of colonialism and its penchant for destruction. Specifically, I use the methodology of critical race theory and critical race narratology in order to prove that the novel belongs to the category of ethnic counterstorytelling, and then move on to demonstrate how the concept of translation is employed as a literary device that permits historical recentering through fantasy, while also, on a metaphorical level, mirroring the perspectives on colonialism, intracultural trust and community belonging that the characters hold. In these ways, I argue that translation becomes a window into exploring the themes proposed by the novel, both internally, through the main character, and extrinsically, through the world built on its foundations as a magical system, while also exploring the consequences that these traumatic positions have on the main character’s psyche.

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