Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2015 September 20

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September 20

Books set in British India

(posted by user:Sluzzelin for non-registered user, as this page is currently protected)

I'm interested in finding comedy books set in the British Raj: light comedies about the life of British people in Raj India, sort of P G Wodehouse set in India. ANy thoughts? 87.113.251.217 (talk) 18:32, 20 September 2015 (UTC)

It's actually set in independent India, post colonial, but John Irving's A Son of the Circus is a comedy book set in India. I know it's not exactly what you are looking for, but still a good book, worth the read (IMHO) --Jayron32 21:10, 20 September 2015 (UTC)

I couldn't find anything fitting that description set in India during that time. We do have an article British Empire in fiction, but The Siege of Krishnapur is the only one mentioning satire at first glance, though not light satire, while also set in India (note that many listed there are mainly set all over the world (and many aren't books)). ---Sluzzelin talk 01:53, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

They're not very Wodehouse-esque, but several of the Flashman books are set in the Raj. Rojomoke (talk) 05:37, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

Also a thought, many of the works of Rudyard Kipling are set in Raj India; some are also light comedies, though I'm not sure if there is much overlap between the two; for example his best known novel Kim is set at the right time, though it isn't really "Light comedy" --Jayron32 14:07, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

The Jewel in the Crown (novel) which was serialized on British TV in 1984 is about the final days of the British Raj in India during World War II, based upon the Raj Quartet novels (1965-1975) by British author Paul Scott. 84.209.89.214 (talk) 15:33, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

I was thinking about those but they are very heavy reading, I speak from experience! Not light comedy. Also A Suitable Boy, heavier than a shot put, though I guess that's just post-Partition. There seem very slim pickings in the department of light British comedy set in India. I suppose that the British in the UK thought of India as a place of adventure and Imperial pride, and the British in India, when they wanted the escapism of comedy, might have preferred it set in the UK for fairly obvious reasons.--Wehwalt (talk) 15:47, 21 September 2015 (UTC)