Heat and Dust (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Ruth Prawer
- First Published: 1975
- Type of Work: Philosophical romance
- Time of Work: 1923 for Olivia’s story, 1975 for the framing story
- Setting: The towns of Satipur and Khatm, India
- Principal Characters: Anne, Inder Lal, Ritu, Inder Lal’s Mother, Maji, Chid (Chidarranda), Douglas Rivers, Olivia Rivers, Mr. Crawford, Beth Crawford, Mrs. Minnies, Major Minnies, Dr. Saunders, Joan Saunders, The Nawab, The Begum, Harry, Karim, Dr. Gopal
- Genres: Long fiction, Epistolary literature, Philosophical realism
- Subjects: Culture, Freedom, 1970’s, Class conflict, Colonies or colonization, Love or romance, Race, Sex or sexuality, Social issues, Prejudices or antipathies, Social life, 1920’s, Pregnancy, Women’s issues, Adultery, Letter writing, Abortion, India or East Indian people, Gossip, Scandal
- Locales: Satipur, India
The Novel
Heat and Dust tells two stories in two time frames: 1923, before the end of British colonial rule in India, and 1975, as a relative of the earlier colonial rulers returns to India to investigate a mysterious family indiscretion. The main narrative line tells the story of Olivia Rivers, a woman who “had gone in too far” probing the exotic “mysteries” of the Orient, seduced by the “oriental privacies” of India and, in the opinion of the ruling British community, corrupted by them. Years after his retirement, one of the colonial characters, Major...
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See Also:
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (Cyclopedia of World Authors)Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (Short Fiction)Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (Long Fiction)
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