Construction of Indian Characters in Rudyard Kipling's Kim and E. M. Forster's A Passage to India

master's thesis

• Title (croatian): Oblikovanje indijskih likova u Kimu Rudyarda Kiplinga i Putu do Indije E. M. Forstera
• Author: Maja Marić
• Mentor: Borislav Knežević (mentor)
• Committee member: Tatjana Jukić-Gregurić (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Martina Domines Veliki (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; (Department of English language and literature); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2023-05-16, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Philology; Anglistics

Abstract

Rudyard Kipling’s Kim (1901) and E. M. Forster’s A Passage to India (1924) are some of the best works of symbolic colonialist literature, literature which tries to find solutions to the problem between the colonizer and the colonized. Published at the beginning and the end of the first quarter of the 20th century, these novels can be studied as guideposts for some of the most crucial events in India’s history and progression towards independence. It is apparent that Kipling and Forster held vastly different opinions on the conducts of the British Empire in India, which partly stems from their different upbringings. As most of Kipling’s formative years had been spent in India, it has a special place in his heart, and thus he is more inclined to focus on the allegedly positive sides of colonialism, whilst ignoring or diminishing the cracks in the social fabric of India. This in turn produced a pro-Empire novel whose stereotyped characters can be studied as types of different people one could have met in the beginning of the 20th century in India. Forster had only visited India as an adult, and consequently there was no reason not to see the cracks that Kipling tried to ignore. As a result, in A Passage to India Forster places more focus on the negative sides of colonialism. His characters feel that the time of the Empire is near its end, and they anticipate change. The characters are more willing to put their differences aside and unite for a common purpose as they wait for a chance to fight for independence. Forster’s focus is not on the physical appearance or customs of his characters, but rather he focuses on the internal struggles of Indian characters, and he tackles the question of what it means to be Indian during the British Raj.

• Keywords: 20th century India; Rudyard Kipling; E. M. Forster; colonialism
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:131:742390
• Study programme: Title: English Language and Literature (double major); specializations in: Linguistics, Literature and Culture, Translation, TEFL; Course: Literature and Culture; Study programme type: university; Study level: graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra engleskog jezika i književnosti (magistar/magistra engleskog jezika i književnosti)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Access restricted to students and staff of home institution
• Created on: 2023-05-22 13:36:40