Riassunto
Under the Deodars is a classic short story collection by Rudyard Kipling which includes the following titles: The Education of Otis Yeere Mrs. Hauksbee decides to start a salon in Simla, but Mrs. Mallowe talks her out of it. She then explains to Mrs. Hauksbee that she's experiencing a mid-life crisis and that she came out of her own by becoming an Influence in the life of a young man. So Mrs. Hauksbee decides to try the same. Against Mrs. Mallowe's warnings, she chooses Otis Yeere. Everything seems to be going according to plan—Otis Yeere is coming up in the world, by virtue of his association with Mrs. Hauksbee. And Mrs. Hauksbee platonically encourages his attentions. At the Pit's Mouth The wife of a man who is serving in the plains of India, leaving her alone in Simla, enters into an extra-marital affair with a 'Tertium quid'. They often rendezvous at the cemetery. On one occasion they see a grave being dug and it ruins the atmosphere for them. They decide to run away to Tibet together, but while going the Tertium Quid's horse is spooked. Horse and rider tumble from the road, which passes by the cemetery. The Tertium Quid is killed in the fall and is buried in the freshly dug grave. A Wayside Comedy The wife of a man who is serving in the plains of India, leaving her alone in Simla, enters into an extra-marital affair with a 'Tertium quid'. They often rendezvous at the cemetery. On one occasion they see a grave being dug and it ruins the atmosphere for them. They decide to run away to Tibet together, but while going the Tertium Quid's horse is spooked. Horse and rider tumble from the road, which passes by the cemetery. The Tertium Quid is killed in the fall and is buried in the freshly dug grave. The Hill of Illusion Major and Mrs. Vansuythen come to live at the station of Kashima. After a time, Mrs. Boulte comes to suspect that her husband has fallen for Mrs. Vansuythen. So when he confronts her about whether she loves him or not, she admits her own affair with Captain Kurrell. Mr. Boulte is overjoyed and carries the news to Mrs. Vansuythen, imploring her to run away with him. Mrs. Vansuythen, however, becomes distraught to learn that she has not been the only one receiving attentions from Captain Kurrell. The last to find out is Captain Kurrell, who loses both women in one swoop. Mrs. Vansuythen informs both men that she hates them and refuses to see either again. A Second-rate Woman Mrs. Hauksbee gossips with Mrs. Mallowe and is highly critical of Mrs. Delville, whom she calls 'The Dowd' (on account of her out-of-style dress), and a man whom she calls 'The Dancing Master' (because he dances so poorly), who seems to be courting her. Mrs. Hauksbee becomes more alarmed when a young man, the Hawley Boy, whom she's been grooming to marry the Holt girl, takes an interest in Mrs. Delville. Her estimation of Mrs. Delville improves a little, though, when Mrs. Delville rejects 'The Dancing Master' after learning that he was married and had a family. Only a Subaltern Bobby Wick is made a subaltern and he joins a regiment called the Tyneside Tail Twisters. One of the soldiers, Dormer, has a temper and is constantly getting into trouble. Bobby takes him fishing and makes friends with him, eventually inspiring him to improve his behaviour and become a better soldier. Bobby has this sort of effect on most of the soldiers in his regiment. Bobby goes on leave to Simla, but is called back early because cholera is spreading through the regiment. Bobby rallies the spirits of many of the men, aiding in their recovery. In the Matter of a Private A soldier in barracks snaps under repeated teasing and takes his rifle to his tormentor. The Enlightenments of Pagett. M. P. A Member of the British Parliament visits an old school friend who is now an administrator in India. He finds that his theoretical ideas on Indian democracy do not match the realities of the people and country.
About the Author
Rudyard Joseph Kipling was born in the then named Bombay, India on 30th December 1865. Aged six, he was sent to England to be educated, firstly in Southsea, where he was cared for in a foster home, and later at Westward Ho, a United Services College in Devon. A life of misery at the former was described in his story 'Baa Baa Black Sheep', whilst Westward Ho was used as a basis for his questioning the public school ethic in 'Stalky and Co'. Kipling returned to India in 1882 to work as an assistant editor for the Civil and Military Gazette of Lahore. His reputation as a writer was established with stories of English life in India, published there in 1888/9. 'The Phantom Rickshaw', 'Soldiers Three' and 'Under the Deodars' are amongst these early works. Returning to England in 1889, Kipling settled in London and continued to earn a living as a writer. In 1892 he married Caroline Balestier, an American. They travelled extensively in the following four years, including a spell living in America, and it was in this time most of his enduring work was written, not least 'The Jungle Book' and 'The Second Jungle Book'. Kipling once again returned to England in 1896 and continued his writing career, although tragedy hit the family when his eldest daughter, Josephine, died in 1899. Nonetheless, in 1901 he completed 'Kim', often considered to be his best work. The following year, having settled in Sussex, he published 'Just So Stories', a book he had planned to write for Josephine. Having refused the position of Poet Laureate, which was offered in 1895, he did accept the Nobel Prize for Literature, becoming the first English author to be so honoured. By 1910, however, Kipling's appeal was waning. His poems and stories were based on values that were perceived as outdated. There was widespread reaction against Victorian imperialism, highlighted by the incompetent management of the Boer War. When World War I came, Kipling had difficulty in adapting to the mood of the public and after his only son, John, was reported missing in action believed killed in 1915, he became very active on the War Graves Commission. After the war he became an increasingly isolated figure, although some of his best writing was to come, with 'Debits and Credits' in 1926 and 'Limits and Renewals' in 1932. Kipling died in 1936 in London and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Today, however, he is once again avidly read not just for the quality of his writing and storytelling, but through a renewed inte
Le informazioni nella sezione "Su questo libro" possono far riferimento a edizioni diverse di questo titolo.
