Peter Melville

The Critique of Colonial Cartography in N. K. Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

Introduction

The critique of colonial cartography in n. K. Jemisin’s the hundred thousand kingdoms. Explore N. K. Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and its postcolonial critique of colonial cartography. Learn how map omission emphasizes the "cartographic gaze" and subjective narratives.

Abstract

Epic fantasy is well-known for supplying readers with maps of fantastic secondary-world settings. N. K. Jemisin’s The Inheritance Trilogy is an example of an epic fantasy series that might have benefited from a map, but its author specifically chose not to include one. Jemisin has publicly acknowledged her aversion to the fantasy map as little more than a cliché that oftentimes spoils the role that places on the map will have in a fantasy text. Critical descriptions of cartographic images in The Inheritance Trilogy, particularly in its first novel The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, suggest there is more to the story: that the omission of a reader map adds emphasis to the series’ postcolonial critique of what map theorists call “the cartographic gaze.” Associating the very idea of a world map with the arrogance of empire, The Inheritance Trilogy characterizes the god’s eye view of colonial cartography as harmfully misguided, even blasphemous, in its attempt to capture the world from a single totalizing perspective. Jemisin counters the objectifying vantage point of the god’s eye view with the subjective narrative perspective of the colonized other. She is by no means the only fantasy author to use first-person narration to promote postcolonial perspectives, but doing so enables her to recapture a depth of experience that is lost when worlds (both imaginary and real) are framed by the colonial cartographic gaze.

Review

This paper presents a compelling and timely analysis of N. K. Jemisin’s *The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms*, arguing that the author's deliberate omission of a reader map is a fundamental component of its postcolonial critique. The central thesis posits that this absence specifically accentuates the novel’s challenge to "the cartographic gaze," associating the imperialistic 'god's eye view' of traditional maps with an arrogance and totalizing perspective that Jemisin finds harmful, even blasphemous. By positioning the fantasy map as a cliché that often spoils narrative discovery and embodies colonial power structures, the research offers a sophisticated interpretation of Jemisin's world-building philosophy and its profound ideological implications. The abstract outlines a robust analytical framework, effectively linking Jemisin's authorial choices with established theories of critical cartography and postcolonial studies. It highlights the strategic use of subjective, first-person narration from the perspective of the colonized other as Jemisin's primary counter-strategy to the objectifying colonial gaze. This approach, the paper suggests, is crucial for recapturing a depth of experience that is inherently lost when worlds are framed by a singular, totalizing cartographic perspective. The study promises to move beyond a mere observation of a narrative omission, delving into the rich ideological underpinnings that inform Jemisin’s innovative engagement with spatial representation in epic fantasy. Overall, this research promises a significant contribution to discussions around speculative fiction, postcolonial theory, and the politics of spatial representation. By focusing on *The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms* as a case study, it illuminates how fantasy literature can actively subvert conventional tropes to interrogate and deconstruct the legacies of empire and the power dynamics embedded in visual and narrative forms of knowledge. The paper's insights into Jemisin’s methods of championing subjective experience over colonial objectivity offer valuable avenues for understanding how authors can craft worlds that resist and reimagine dominant epistemologies.

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