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INTRODUCTION 13
have a gift for vivid presentation, a clear vision of his subject and a keen perception of the emotional colour of words. It is on this basis that so much of the admirable styles of Ruskin and Newman are built. I venture to maintain that Kipling combines these fundamental elements of distinction in style with a genius that almost puts him on a level with the two great stylists I have mentioned.
It is often pointed out that Kipling saw red during the Boer War, and since that time has not written with such unique beauty and power as he gave us in the " Jungle Stories." But I do not think this is true. His style has lost some of the early vitality—the god-energy of youth which is enthusiasm—but the real change has been that he has become a stay at home and a settled Sussex man. With the loss of a part of his early vitality and arrogance he has put behind him some of his faults. Lovers of Kipling cannot shut their eyes to the fact that some of the author's work during the Boer War contained much of the ill-judging impulsiveness of a child without its compensating charm. But I think Kipling has left such work behind him. When an inspiration comes to him now he takes it out for a long, cool walk round about the Sussex lanes, or sleeps with it beneath |
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