Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence

Synopsis of Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence

In 1828 England, Robin Swift, a Canton orphan, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell to train in classical and Chinese languages. His destination is Babel, the prestigious Royal Institute of Translation at Oxford University, the world's center for translation and magic. Silver work, which allows the meaning lost in translation to be manifested through enchanted silver bars, has given Great Britain unparalleled power in its quest for colonization. For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to knowledge, but he soon realizes that serving Babel means betraying his homeland. Caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, which seeks to stop imperial expansion, Robin must decide whether institutions can be changed from within or whether revolution always requires violence. This novel by R.F. Kuang explores themes of student revolution, colonial resistance, and the use of language as a tool of domination.