Empire of analogies

"Empire of Analogies examines Kipling's representation of the Irish in his Indian stories, while tracing his changing views of the Empire as the hegemony of British imperialism faltered towards the end of the nineteenth century. It raises an important question regarding the place of Ireland in the Empire, namely, why do his Irish characters, especially the eponymous hero of Kim, have to be represented in India? Empire of Analogies seeks to answer this colonial riddle by placing it within the context of the imperial connections between British colonies. It argues that Indo-Irish analogies and comparisons became especially important in representing imperial integrity in the late nineteenth century, and, as such, became the very site where the image of the British Empire was contested."--Jacket.