Rudyard Kipling: A Study in Short Fiction (Twayne's Studies in Short Fiction)

This study of representative stories from the enormous body of short works by Rudyard Kipling reflects the recent revival of serious critical interest in the author perhaps best known for such children's stories as "'Rikki-tikki-tavi'" and "How the Camel Got His Hump." Helen Pike Bauer explores the full range of his short fiction, from the coming-of-age tales of Mowgli the jungle boy to the tragicomedy of "The Man Who Would Be King" to the spirituality of "They."
Earlier views of Kipling gave short shrift to the complexity and sophistication of his narrative technique and the profoundness of his thematic concerns. Here Bauer both considers those aspects of his work that have always been part of his appeal - a vivid evocation of exotic setting, a compelling treatment of men and women in crisis, an understanding of the pains and pleasures of childhood - and explores newly discovered areas of interest - a complex narrative line, an ironic and ambivalent tone, and a poetic use of language.
Her analysis of the fiction in part 1 of this volume is organized around the abiding themes of the stories: the terror of loneliness, typified by the Britisher cast adrift on one of India's all-but-deserted outposts; the value of engagement in work and community as an antidote to loneliness; the ramifications of imperialism; the fascination of the mythic and the fantastic; the power of the imagination; the allure of the supernatural. An assessment of Kipling's artistry concludes Bauer's analysis, with particular emphasis on an area skipped over by most critics to date: his visual acuity. Bauer cites his elaborate descriptions of visual details, his ability to create meaning through visual impressions, and his use of the visual in metaphor and symbol.
Parts 2 and 3 of the volume set off Bauer's commentary with selections from some of Kipling's reluctant remarks on his writing and from recent criticism. Excerpted are Kipling's autobiography, Something of Myself, and two of his public addresses, "Literature" and "Fiction." Critic John McClure explores Kipling's portrayal of the complex mental and moral position of British Empire builders in India, and Clare Hanson assesses Kipling's place as a craftsman in the development of the short story.
The context of many Kipling stories - the experience of the British during the colonization of India, an effort Kipling saw as fundamentally good - is one not easily embraced by the contemporary reader aware of the evils of Western hegemony. But their subtext - rich in the subtleties that make up the complex of human feeling and behavior - strikes many responsive chords in the modern psyche. Bauer's Rudyard Kipling: A Study of the Short Fiction is a discerning, broadly informed appreciation of a surprisingly modern writer from an increasingly distant and exotic time.

Helen Pike Bauer is associate professor of English at Iona College.