Kipling: An Idealist, Not An Imperialist

In English literary history Rudyard Kipling represents a strange phenomenon. He was the first English writer who won the Nobel Prize, but he has never been put into the main stream of the English literature. Considered as an imperialist, Kipling has been severely attacked both at home and abroad, however, there is evidence indicating that he has been misunderstood in his life and such address is unjust. Nobel Prize made Kipling an international writer, yet there is a noticeable overlook about him in most literary books. All these constitute the enigma of Kipling's place in literature.This thesis consists of three chapters.In the first chapter, the present author explains the rise and fall of Kipling's popularity, and then with the Marxist theory about Imperialism refutes the traditional view that Kipling is an imperialist. This chapter also involves Edward.W.Said's studies about Kipling in the postcolonial discourse.In the second chapter, with the textual analysis method, after carefully exploring Kipling's masterpiece Kim, the present author points out that Kipling presents the readers with a swan-song for colonialism.In the third chapter, by analyzing Kipling's love for the colony India and his outlook on East and West, the present author comes to the conclusion that Kipling is an idealist.Kipling is a writer with great achievements, but his place in literature remains an enigma. This thesis provides a new dimension to the understanding and assessment about Kipling's place in literature.