In Time's Eye: Essays on Rudyard Kipling

The theme of Kipling in history unites these rich, diverse treatments of Kipling's relationship to historical institutions of rule, of his work's subjection to time and change, and of his many-sided artistry. Challenging received opinion, breaking new ground in Kipling scholarship, and contributing substantially to the cultural history of Britain, these essays on Kipling's attitudes to the First World War, to the culture of Edwardian England, to homosexuality and to Jewishness bring together historical, literary critical and postcolonial approaches to this perennially controversial writer.

The Introduction situates the book in the context of Kipling's changing reputation and of recent Kipling scholarship. After the perspectives of Chesterton (1905), Orwell (1942) and Jarrell (1960), newer contributions address Kipling's approach to the Boer war, his involvement with World War One, his Englishness and the politics of literary quotation. Different aspects of Kipling's relation to India are explored, including the 'Mutiny', Eastern religions, his Indian travel writings and his knowledge of 'the vernacular'.

This collection, whose contributors include Hugh Brogan, Dan Jacobson, Daniel Karlin and Bryan Cheyette, is essential reading for academics and students of Kipling, Victorian and Edwardian English literature and cultural history.