Kipling and Orientalism (Routledge Revivals) Routledge Revivals Series

First published in 1986, this book sets Kipling firmly in the historical context not only of contemporary India but of prior Anglo-Indian writers about India. Despite his enthusiastic reception in England as ?revealer of the East?, in India he seems to have been regarded as just one more Anglo-Indian writer. The author demonstrates the traditionalism of Kipling?s use of the themes of Anglo-Indian fiction ? themes such as the ?White Man?s grave?, domestic instability, frustration and loneliness. In particular, Kipling is shown to be writing in a strongly conservative idiom, concentrating on the role of the British hierarchy as the determining factor in a response to India, on British insecurity and fears of a repeat of 1857 mutiny, and regarding Indian institutions only in so far as they represented a threat to British rule. Conservative critiques of liberalism are also discussed.

1. Kipling’s Contexts 2. "Gorgeous East" versus "Land of Regrets" 3. A Sense of Insecurity 4. Strategic Conflicts within "Orientalism" 5. The Problem of Solidarity 6. "Orientalism" and Narrative; Bibliography; Index