The British Raj Novels

A Colonial Hangover

This book is about a brief resum of the major critical responses received by Scott and proves the fact that he still needs a wider critical attention to have a deeper insight of his novels. At the moment, his Raj quartet is the only work that has received extensive critical attention. The generally accepted verdict that the Raj quartet is Scotts greatest achievement is confirmed by the fact that it has aroused considerable interest among critics since its publication. Its position of acknowledged greatness, therefore, certainly demands a reference to various critical responses to it. John Mellors, for instance, considers it important because by evoking the final episode in the long and passionate affaire between British and India, it contains something of all the issues Scott wants to raise: justice, responsibility, political expediency, law and order, sex and race, pride and prejudice, love and loyalty.