From both feminist and new historicist perspectives, these elements produce conflicting interpretations of “The Man Who Would Be King.” A Feminist Reading So did the Indian Mutiny, which produced imperial rhetoric on Indian independence, negative Anglo-Indian stereotypes of natives, and the Anglo-Indian social taboo of miscegenation. Kipling’s thirteen years in India influenced his work as poet and prophet of Empire. Still, the Anglo-Indian culture in which this story was written is important (Guerin, et al 248). Like the rest of misogynistic Anglo-Indian society, Kipling’s male characters stereotype and vilify women as threats to their sexuality (Gilbert and Gubar 14, 31, 34). However, because of its unsettling ambiguity, this story “resists classification” (Gilmour 37). Even when Kipling’s critical reputation suffered, “The Man Who Would Be King” continued to garner acclaim. Michael Caine, Sean Connery, and Christopher Plummer starred in John Huston’s classic film adaptation (1975), which provided a testament to the story’s enduring popularity (Beckerman 180). “The Man Who Would Be King” (1888) 1 is one of Rudyard Kipling’s most well known and highly acclaimed short stories.
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