Oakfield; or, Fellowship in the East
Encyclopedia
Oakfield; or, Fellowship in the East is a novel
by William Delafield Arnold
, first published in 1853. The book is one of the earliest novelistic accounts of life in British India, and its plot strongly mirrors the biography of its author. Set in India in the years surrounding the First Afghan War, the novel describes the unhappy experiences of the eponymous Edward Oakfield, an Oxford
graduate who, we are told, enlisted in the East India Company
's military service because he had grown tired of the metaphysical debates dominating that university. In India, Oakfield is repelled by what he sees as an absence of Christian gentlemanliness among the Company's military officers, and he soon retreats to introspection and the comradeship of a few, thinly spread, kindred spirits.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by William Delafield Arnold
William Delafield Arnold
William Delafield Arnold was a British author and colonial administrator.He was the fourth son of Thomas Arnold, the headmaster of Rugby School. His older brothers included the poet and critic Matthew Arnold and the literary scholar Tom Arnold...
, first published in 1853. The book is one of the earliest novelistic accounts of life in British India, and its plot strongly mirrors the biography of its author. Set in India in the years surrounding the First Afghan War, the novel describes the unhappy experiences of the eponymous Edward Oakfield, an Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
graduate who, we are told, enlisted in the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
's military service because he had grown tired of the metaphysical debates dominating that university. In India, Oakfield is repelled by what he sees as an absence of Christian gentlemanliness among the Company's military officers, and he soon retreats to introspection and the comradeship of a few, thinly spread, kindred spirits.
Major themes
The novel is a stinging indictment of the moral standards of the British regiments in India. Indeed Arnold, fearing a backlash, originally published the novel under the pseudonym Punjabee. The second edition, of 1854, reveals the author's identity and adds a preface which functions as an apologia.External links
- Oakfield; or Fellowship in the East (2nd Edition) at Google Books