What is the secret desire that needles the reptilian mind of the Mugger of Mugger-Ghaut? Rudyard Kipling, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

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This week, we hear from Rudyard Kipling. Today’s story comes from the second of his Jungle Book stories.

Not sure if it’s super well known or obvious, but Kipling was a bit of a racist and misogynist. He truly believed that the white man was superior. You can see it in his writing in his attitude toward the indigenous people of India, and the way he depicts the women in this story.

When I run into stuff like this, I don’t think it’s right to ignore it. I also don’t want to cut out the objectionable parts, and pretend that these things didn’t happen. They did. And I think if we look at them and talk about them, it helps to keep them from recurring. I also think it helps to keep these attitudes from gaining acceptance through the revisiting of these pieces.

And now, The Undertakers, by Rudyard Kipling.

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