In orientalism, said quotes rudyard kiplings work as exemplifying colonial attitudes to oriental peoples. It might appear modish to be writing on kim and orientalism so soon after the publication of a book on the subject of kipling and orientalism 1 but this essay is in some respects born of a double dissatisfaction with that book. In 1907, kipling was the first english writer ever to be awarded the nobel prize in literature. It is difficult ot imagine a novel about india that is less orientalist within edward sayeeds meaning in the book of that title than kim. The representation of the orient in rudyard kipling s kim 179 a british possession. The novel displays the absolute division between the white and the nonwhite that existed during the british raj in india. But when penguin asked edward said to write an introduction and notes to their edition of kiplings masterpiece kim 1901. Rudyard kipling 18651936 was born of english parents in bombay, india.
Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Kim is as unique in rudyard kiplings life and career as it is in english literature. It tells the story of a streetwise but in typical kipling fashion highly moral angloindian boy who becomes enmeshed the the great game the competition between britain and russia for control over asia. Rudyard kipling has not exactly lacked for eminent commentators on his works. Kipling and orientalism routledge revivals ebook by b. Even though kim feels totally comfortable running around the city talking to the city kids in urdu, he is white. Jan 12, 2016 hard questions about race and colonialism are hurdles kipling firsttimers must initially confront, but kim remains a glorious novel filled with adoration for victorian india. The engagement with orientalism in mooregilberts book. This paper highlights the problemtatics of identity formation in a colonial framework as embodied in rudyard kiplings kim in which he supports the presence of the raj in british india. Kiplings kim is a novel about a young european boy in india, kim, who travels with a tibetan lama on his search for a river of purifying water. One of the particular pleasures of reading kim is the full range of emotion, knowledge, and experience that rudyard kipling gives his complex hero. The novels action takes place during the angloafghan wars of 183942.
Here i come to the third meaning of orientalism, which is something more historically and materially defined than either of the other two. In 1907 he became the first english writer to receive the nobel prize. Rudyard kipling 18651936 was born in bombay, india. Rudyard kiplings kim easily falls into the category of colonial texts, which tried to portray the east as an orientalized orient. The story unfolds against the backdrop of the great game, the political conflict between russia and. Orientalism is a constant one, and since the late eighteenth century there has been a considerable, quite disciplinedperhaps even regulatedtraffic between the two. Comparing kim with contemporary novels set in england or europe, said. The indian subcontinent was one of the most important parts of the empire, which thousands of angloindians, like kipling himself, called home. Written in 1901, kim is considered kiplings finest work, and was a key factor in his being awarded the nobel prize. The representation of the orient in rudyard kiplings kim 179 a british possession. This is precisely in accordance with the typical prac tice of orientalism described by said, which seeks to create an orient. But when penguin asked edward said to write an introduction and notes to their edition of kipling s masterpiece kim 1901. For example, when lurgan sahib attempts to hypnotize kim, kim recites the multiplication tables he learned at english school to resistsharply symbolizing kiplings belief in the advancement of british law over the superstitious ways of the asians. I hesitate to reduce kim to crude questions of black and white or even, as so delineated in the book, the shades in between especially since.
Once upon a time because at its heart, kim is a fairy tale, there was an orphan boy named kimball ohara, kim for short. The novel is written in consideration of the era 1890s in british. Kim is as unique in rudyard kipling s life and career as it is in english literature. Mar 11, 2011 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Kipling, the orient, and orientals 319kiplings finale of the lamas buddhistevoking description of postmeditation enlightenment vision attracted saids description of somemumbojumbo, of course, a dismissive evaluation by said that perhaps reflects said more than kipling.
His book orientalism influenced largely on the western as well as theeastern side of the world. It might appear modish to be writing on kim and orientalism so soon after the publication of a book on the subject of kipling and orientalism 1but this essay is. Little did i know, he has plenty of other fantastic books as well. Kimball ohara, kim for short, lives in the city of lahore in the province of the punjab. Proper quotes, italics, dashes, but often open quotes are used for closed quotes. More interestingly than that, however, is that kim was kiplings only. So much more than just a spy story, kim is one of the most enjoyable books that you will ever read or have read to you. Rudyard kipling was an english author and poet, born in bombay, india, and is best known for the jungle book series and is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story. In kipling s kim, kim is a savvy irish child who was born in india. Kim is a fabulous adventure story set in india during the former british empire. It can be argued that kiplings narrative is an allegory of the orientalist india that. Kim by rudyard kipling and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
Rudyard kiplings kim can be interpreted as a project that exemplifies the relations between britain and india within the hegemonic colonial discourse 6. Kiplings novel kim 1901 is probably the best example oforientalist fiction, not. When kim was published in 1901, the british empire was still the most powerful empire in the world. The idea of rudyard kiplings kim revolves around an orphan irish teenager named, kimball ohara. Looking at imperial identity in rudyard kipling english. The following year he started work as a journalist in india, and while there produced a body of work, stories, sketches, and poems including mandalay, gunga din, and danny deeverwhich made him an instant literary. I read rudyard kipling s kim after reading laurie kings the game, a sherlock holmesmary russell mystery in which an adult kim plays a major role. The swastika many of rudyard kiplings older books have a swastika printed on their covers, which has led to many claiming that he is racist. First, said noted, in passing, kipling s assertion of western command and authority. Lahore is now in pakistan, but when rudyard kipling was writing, it was part of india. With regard to kiplings kim, said argued that kim is a major contribution to this orientalized india of the imagination.
Eperialism in rudyard kiplings kim literary articles. Kim himself is a resourceful lad who befriends a lama, an ageing priest. Edward saids orientalism and a contrapuntal reading of rudyard. A postcolonial approach dr jaydeep chakrabarty term paper advanced seminar didactics english literature, works publish your bachelors or masters thesis, dissertation, term paper or essay. Rudyard kipling was born on 30 december 1865 in bombay, in the bombay presidency of british india, to alice kipling nee macdonald and john lockwood kipling. During his time at the united services college, he began to write poetry, privately publishing schoolboy lyrics in 1881. Problematizing saids analysis of kim, this paper argues that the character of the main protagonist kim. This essay analyses the representation of the orient in rudyard kiplings kim. Alice one of the four noted macdonald sisters was a vivacious woman, of whom lord dufferin would say, dullness and mrs kipling cannot exist in the same room. The representation of the orient in rudyard kiplings kim. There were only limited referencesthree in effectto kipling in saids book orientalism. Extensive nonfiction pamphlets and books about india were published in england. Kipling, rudyard 1987 2000 introduction and notes to kim by rudyard kipling.
Appears in 20 books from 19012003 page 98 the women who have taken all the embankments of all the northern railways under their charge a flatfooted, bigbosomed, stronglimbed, bluepetticoated clan of earthcarriers, hurrying north on news of. Kim by rudyard kipling is set against the background of the great game as it was called the tugofwar between britain and russia for the control of central asia. John lockwood kipling, a sculptor and pottery designer, was the principal. Penguin book british rule great literature army officer colonial discourse. Article examines literary contributions of rudyard kipling, who wrote about world dominated by british imperialism in books such as kim, which. Kim, the most popular of rudyard kipling s novels and one of the finest adventure stories in literature, is the narrative of an orphan boy, the son of an irish soldier, who grows up in india. Kipling was one of the most popular writers in english, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With regard to kiplings kim, said arguedthat kim is a major contribution to this orientalized india of the imagination. Kim also works as a spy for the british secret service, using his tanned skin and manipulation of language to move in and out of the role of a native.
Backgrounds explores the novels complicated issues of. First published in 1986, this book sets kipling firmly in the. Kim is a novel by nobel prizewinning english author rudyard kipling. In orientalism, said quotes rudyard kipling s work as exemplifying colonial attitudes to oriental peoples. Kipling a contradictory, thorny and difficult author was a bombayborn brit writing around the turn of the century. Race and colonization as seen in rudyard kiplings kim. Can you explain orientalism in rudyard kiplings kim. The imperial message in rudyard kiplings novel kim.
Jun 01, 2000 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Unto whose use the pregnant suns are poised with idiot moons and stars retracting stars. Ref the aim of this essay is to explore the critical material written about the work of kipling, in particular kim and the jungle books. Bart mooregilberts kipling and orientalism appeared in 1986. Kipling s kim is a novel about a young european boy in india, kim, who travels with a tibetan lama on his search for a river of purifying water. Penguin book colonial rule colonial past english listener muslim identity.
I had never heard its name before choosing to pick it up, seeing the name of rudyard kipling on the cover but in the end, i am so happy that i did. It appeared in 1901, twelve years after kipling had left india, the place of his birth in 1865 and the country with which his name will always be associated. Kiplings kim displays ambiguity while establishing the relationship between colonizers and colonized. Appears in 20 books from 19012003 page 98 the women who have taken all the embankments of all the northern railways under their charge a flatfooted, bigbosomed, stronglimbed, bluepetticoated clan of earthcarriers, hurrying north on news of a job, and wasting no time by the road. A postcolonial approach author dr jaydeep chakrabarty author year 2015 pages 10 catalog number v298280 isbn book 9783656944508 file size 452 kb language english tags. According to edward said, orientalism is an institution for dominating the. Baucoms analysis of the construction and political significance of the categories of englishness and britishness includes the orientalist vision of the london poor in such writers as ruskin, mayhew, and dickens, and various moments of imperialist selffashioning in ruskins writings on architecture and kiplings kim, among others. The imperial message in rudyard kipling s novel kim college university of munster grade 1 author katja klass author year 2010 pages 16 catalog number v168290 isbn ebook 9783640852291 isbn book 9783640852598 file size 508 kb language english tags.
The listed critical essays and books will be invaluable for writing essays and papers on a passage to india. These derogatory ethnic stereotypes are sharply contrasted with kiplings portrayals of the british and british culture as more advanced. Proper quotes, italics, dashes, but often open quotes are used for closed quotes or apostrophes, and closed quotes for open quotes. More interestingly than that, however, is that kim was kipling s only. Written in 1901, kim is considered kipling s finest work, and was a key factor in his being awarded the nobel prize. At seventeen, he began work as a journalist and over the next seven years established an international reputation with his stories and verses of indian and army life, including such classics as the jungle book and kim.
Kim 1901 a novel of indian life widely considered kiplings. Kim, the most popular of rudyard kiplings novels and one of the finest adventure stories in literature, is the narrative of an orphan boy, the son of an irish soldier, who grows up in india. The truth is that the swastika is an indian sign of good luck, often used by hindu traders on their account books. The imperial message in rudyard kiplings novel kim katja klass term paper. The textthat of the 1901 sussex editionis fully annotated and accompanied by three maps that help students place the novel in geographical and historical contexts. Edward saids orientalism and india saakhi 1516 januaryjune. In kiplings kim, kim is a savvy irish child who was born in india. Comments by bob corbett january 20 kim is a poor, white, english boy who speaks the local indian dialect and was born in british, india actually in present day lahore, pakistan. Kim rudyard kipling kipling, rudyard 18651936 an english novelist, shortstory writer, and poet who spent most of his youth in india, and is best known for his childrens classics.
Race and colonization as seen in rudyard kiplings kim ijhssi. Perhaps it is no irony that we were sitting underneath a sign symbolising rudyard kiplings glorified childrens tales the jungle book 1894. Hard questions about race and colonialism are hurdles kipling firsttimers must initially confront, but kim remains a glorious novel filled with adoration for victorian india. Rudyard kipling is a famous author known mainly for his book the jungle book. He was the author of many short stories and novels including the jungle book. Orientalism victorian literature oxford bibliographies. Penguin classics edition 1987, it was as if they had sponsored and won exclusive broadcasting rights to a world heavyweight boxing championship match between the archcolonial of all times and the archpostcolonial of.
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