Major Issues
Author Links
Essay Questions

Major Issues

The history of Rudyard Kipling’s popular and critical reception is one of extremes: he was both one of the most popular English writers and one of the most critically maligned. The charges against him include elitism, racism, misogyny, and Imperialistic glorification. His colourful, exotic portrayal of life in colonial India has both fascinated and repelled readers and reviewers. Kipling was a Victorian gentleman, with all the positive and negative connotations that label carries. Revenge, misunderstanding, passion, and the dark side of human nature have been identified as major themes in Kipling’s fiction. He also wrote children’s literature, including many animal stories with anthropomorphic, but by no means cute, characters. Other scholars have examined Kipling’s portrayal of women with power, including supernatural powers.

Author Links

Rudyard Kipling: The Victorian Web
This well-designed site brings together essays on Kipling’s themes, characters, life, literary relations, and Victorianism.

Rudyard Kipling: 1865-1936
This bio-critical essay outlines Kipling’s literary highlights and draws attention to his controversial glorification of British imperialism.

Rudyard Kipling
This site includes a biography, bibliography, extensive bio-critical analysis, and links.

The Kipling Society
The Kipling Society brings you a biography, works online, photographs, and links.

Ruddy is Coming
The first chapter of a biography of Kipling, with a link to a review of the book.