Paul Scott, A Division of the Spoils

Peter Childs (Birmingham Newman University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of Glasgow), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1975

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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This is the fourth novel in Scott's

The Raj Quartet

, following on from

The Jewel in the Crown

The Day of the Scorpion

and

The Towers of Silence

. Published in 1975, and then with the other three books as the

Raj Quartet

in 1976,

A Division of the Spoils

contains more humour than the previous novels, as though the overly light-hearted attitude of the demob-happy British towards Indian Independence was itself a factor in the carnage that followed. In terms of style, however, this use of comedy and irony points towards the levity of Scott's final novel,

Staying On

A Division of the Spoils is divided into two halves, the first set in the aftermath of the war in 1945, the second at the time of Indian Independence and partition in 1947. The major device of this volume of the tetralogy is to

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1629 words

Citation: Childs, Peter. "A Division of the Spoils". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7210, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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