| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立中山大學 === 外國語文學系 === 84 === The purpose of this thesis is to explore the way Kipling
maneuvers his stories and poems into a meganarrative that
legitimates British imperialism. My thesis will place the
author in cultural and political contexts of Victorian
England. In this way, it examines how Kipling's literary works
correspond to the imperial expansion and how Kipling employs
the white myth and the civilizing mission to justify British
imperialism. In my Introduction, I trace Kipling's sudden rise
to fame, then his subsequent descent into obscurity, and
finally the beginning of his ascendency as a great writer.
Here, I emphasize the need to conduct a study of Kipling from
historical perspectives. In Chapter One, I focus on Kim,
attempting to disentangle its profound ties with imperialism
and Orientalism. My analysis of the novel centers on two
preoccupations. Kim, in the first place, is the very site
where Kipling constructs a blueprint for the British Empire.
The second preoccupation concerns with his stereotypical
production of knowledge about India. My thesis proceeds to
confront Kipling's poems by retrieving the underlying messages
that bolster up the idea of empire and the "White Man's
Burden." This chapter continues to explore how British
imperialism has entered popular consciousness by dint of
Kipling's imperial songs. In Chapter Three, I explore Kipling's
short stories to debunk his strategies in legitimizing British
rule. In my Conclusion, I will deal with Kipling's dilemma,
that is, his ambivalent attitude toward England and India. I
refer to Ashis Nandy's point to discuss the dilemma in which
Kipling is placed. Ultimately, I will emphasize that a
historical approach in the study of Kipling can shed light on
the confrontation between literature and imperialism.
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