The Raj Quartet and its Sequel: A Postcolonial Study

This book attempts a postcolonial study of Paul Scott¿s The Raj Quartet and its sequel Staying On. The Raj Quartet as a collection includes four novels: The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, The Towers of Silence and A Division of the Spoils. These novels portray, among other things, the life of Hari Kumar, the unfortunate protagonist who gets crushed by the powers of history. History decides his destiny. On the other hand, the Booker Prize winning novel, Staying On, offers a perspective on post-Independent Indian politics. The forces which eventually brought about independence changed the direction of history. The transition caused by that breakthrough relocates the coordinates of the relationship between the Indians and the British. Mr. and Mrs. Smalley, representing the living legacy of the colonial past, hope to settle and stay on in India. But hopes offers solace, not home.