The Manner of Men
I have been interested to read the two articles by Inger K. Brogger in
the Kipling Journal, especially the most recent one on ‘The Manner of
Men’. The two stories of St. Paul in Limits and Renewals have always
been amongst my favourites, and several reflections arise in response to
Ms. Brogger’s article.
First, although she gives several Bible references, she does not mention
the biblical source of the story, in Acts 27 and 28. In checking this
passage, I was struck anew by the extraordinary accuracy with which
Kipling weaves in every single detail of a very detailed account. This
is one of the ‘we’ passages in Acts, implying that Luke, the writer, was
actually present at these events, and there is a vividness in the
original writing which Kipling enhances. It makes a striking contrast
with ‘The Church that was at Antioch’, where Kipling is elaborating on a
much sketchier biblical account.
The two stories lead me to wonder how common was this technique of
re-telling Bible stories from a different point of view? It is quite
common in modern re-tellings, but is Kipling one of the originators of
the genre? The only parallels I know of from the first half of the
twentieth century are in poetry - notably G. K. Chesterton’s ‘The
Donkey’. Do others know of other examples, perhaps earlier ones?
I am also reflecting on what seems to be Kipling’s fascination with the
verse in 1 Corinthians 15: 32: "If after the manner of men I have fought
with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not?’
In the two Paul stories, Kipling is mainly concerned with the first half
of the verse (and I agree with Ms. Brogger that RK is probably mistaken
in taking it literally). In ‘A Madonna of the Trenches’, he uses the
first half of the verse to point obliquely to the second half - ‘what
advantageth it me, if the dead rise not?’. It seems to be a key verse in
Kipling’s consciousness. Maybe, given RK's known interest in
spiritualism, he is also taking the second half of the verse more
literally than most commentators would.
Liz Breuilly
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