History Literature / TheFarPavilions

* RatedMForManly: The Corps of Guides, the Frontier Men, the army and the British Raj/India in general. The era made it such.

* MystialIndia: The book showcases the mystical, ancient side of India—for instance, there is suttee, medicine men, charming snakes to do your bidding; there are rajahs, and ancient temples alongside gorgeous, sprawling palaces, elephants, tigers; beautiful princesses, and conniving royalty. Then again, this part of India WAS true of India in that period and its history. At the same time however, the book ''also'' makes sure to point out the stereotypes about India, and makes sure to show the complexity of the land and its people as well as customs. The author also makes sure to point out the hypocrisy of British rule, and deconstructs the "nobility" of said British Rule—calling out the WhiteMansBurden, and the superior thinking of the British towards the Indians, especially as it is shown the British had many things to learn from India and the Indian peoples. (And vice-versa). The book shows over and over that ''both'' sides have things to learn from each other: in some things the British way is better, in other ways the Indian way works best, and then,[[TakeAThirdOption sometimes a mix of both is the right choice.]]

* MeanBrit: Appears every now and then, especially considering the [[UsefulNotes/TheRaj setting]] where classism, racism, sexism, and snobby superiority joined forces with each other.

* PositiveDiscrimination: Subverted. While the Indian/non-British characters are fleshed out, and reoccurring statements of "India should belong and be governed by Indians" are outright stated and discussed, the author does a masterful job of illustrating the ingrained prejudices and racism on ''all'' sides—British, Muslim, Hindu, Pashtun, Mixed-Race, etc. Though the author's love of India and its peoples are apparent, Kaye is still brutally honest in the bigotry, racism and prejudice from the Indian characters to one an another as well as non-Indians—especially in Caste and religious matters, where prejudice runs ''rampant''. Essentially, there is no side that ''doesn't'' have some sort of prejudice in their own way—the British, and India in general, [[MirroringFactions are mirrors of each other in that regard.]] That is not even covering the sexism, and the very inferior status of women in the very much male-dominated Raj, country, and overall era—globally!

* BrokenBird: Throughout Anjuli's life she had varying degrees of this, but [[UpToEleven especially]] after [[spoiler: she is rescued from Bhithor—she suffers from this BIG TIME thanks to the horrific treatment Shushila made her go through.]]

* DysfunctionJunction: Everywhere—what with a bit off BigScrewedUpFamily, characters shuffled in and out of the TraumaCongaLine, half the cast with a DarkAndTroubledPast...basically, this book screws everyone over, and then [[UpToEleven a couple more times]] to get the job done right.
* EmptyShell: Hinted at while the rescue mission is taking place but revealed fully later on, [[spoiler: Anjuli is shown to have become this, thanks to Shushila who has finally revealed her true colours, coupled with the crushing loneliness, and lack of love Anjuli experienced while in Bhithor. Taken UpToEleven when Anjuli finally reveals to Ashton that she was starved and kept in isolation ''by Shushila''.]]

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: A simply MASSIVE number—all interesting and important to the plot in some way; even the ones with barely any screen time!

* RapunzelHair: Notably Anjuli with her very long, silky raven-black hair that Ashton is not only rather fond of, but dreams about on more than one occasion.

* SpotOfTea: From the simple refreshment, to using the drink/customs to show how the majority of British (civilians) who lived in India refused to adapt or even ''try'' anything about India, or their culture—other than to laugh and mock them. To be fair, those in the Corps of Guides and the soldiers in general, learned at least one Indian language, ate the food, and were very familiar with the customs. They had to be, in order to get the Indians into the army and work for them—though there were some who genuinely wanted to learn about India with no ulterior motives. Plenty of British soldiers worked side by side with the Indians, and even befriended them, though there was coolness on ''both'' sides regardless.

* SimSimSalabim: As the book reads both like a realistic historic work, and also a fairytale of an era and land gone by, this Trope is both yes ''and'' no. The book showcases the mystical, ancient side of India—for instance, there is suttee, medicine men, charming snakes to do your bidding; there are rajahs, and ancient temples alongside gorgeous, sprawling palaces, elephants, tigers; beautiful princesses, and conniving royalty. Then again, this part of India WAS true of India in that period and its history. At the same time however, the book ''also'' makes sure to point out the stereotypes about India, and makes sure to show the complexity of the land and its people as well as customs. The author also makes sure to point out the hypocrisy of British rule, and deconstructs the "nobility" of said British Rule—calling out the WhiteMansBurden, and the superior thinking of the British towards the Indians, especially as it is shown the British had many things to learn from India and the Indian peoples. (And vice-versa). The book shows over and over that ''both'' sides have things to learn from each other: in some things the British way is better, in other ways the Indian way works best, and then,[[TakeAThirdOption sometimes a mix of both is the right choice.]]
** While the author makes sure to show that both sides have corruption, prejudice and racism, Kaye also showcases that there was good mixed in as well as the bad, and the system worked best when two sides learned from each other, and the British especially stopped thinking along MightyWhitey lines. It's an honest portrayal, and one that is fair to all sides of the picture—the good is pointed out regardless of side; the bad is dealt with the same way.
** Though in saying all this, it is clear that the author's sympathies ''still'' lay with India more often than not. Even when she died, her ashes were taken, per her request, to be scattered in India—the country she adored. She was British and white.
--->'I am not,' insisted Hilary 'an unpatriotic man. But I cannot see anything admirable in stupidity, injustice and sheer incompetence in high places, and there is too much of all three in the present administration.'\\
'I will not quarrel with you over that,' said Akbar Khan. 'But it will pass; and your children's children will forget the guilt and remember only the glory, while ours will remember the oppression and deny you the good. Yet there is much good.'

* RealMenLoveJesus: The devout Irish-Protestant Wally loves the Lord just as much as he loves war. Ashton tends to be much more of a NayTheist. Anjuli, in her turn, is pretty much the 1800's version of an atheist—she doesn't believe in any gods, and she feels that if they exist, they ignore her pleas to them. Everyone else tends to be either Muslim, Hindu, or some form of Christianity. There's even [[YouHaveToHaveJews one Jew mentioned!]]

* BadassBeard: Ashton sports one when he returns from going AWOL. Perhaps crossing over into BeardOfSorrow, considering the circumstances of the two years spent on the Frontier.

* DrivenToSuicide: Thanks to [[spoiler: Belinda for viciously outing his MixedRace ancestry, George bites the bullet.]] later on [[spoiler: Ashton of all people seriously thinks about doing this when Anjuli parts from him to marry the Rana of Bhithor.]] Moments later, he's disgusted at himself for such absurd weakness.

** [[NotSoDifferent Wally too undergoes this to some extent]]: he's first seen as this very loyal, but also happy-go-lucky, not-too-serious young man. Some years later, while still cheerful and loyal, he sheds the more juvenile aspects of his personality, and becomes much more serious, and rather less of the WideEyedIdealist he was once.

* CultureClash: Played with in terms of Britain and India—on one hand, there is mutual (and especially on the Indian end), increasing dislike of the other; the British especially are shown many-a-time to be [[MightyWhitey insensitive and mocking of Indian Culture]], but then again, [[NotSoDifferent both sides are shown to have racist ideas towards the other.]]

* PositiveDiscrimination: Subverted. While the Indian/non-British characters are fleshed out, and reoccurring statements of "India should belong and be governed by Indians" are outright stated and discussed, the author does a masterful job of illustrating the ingrained prejudices and racism on ''all'' sides—British, Muslim, Hindu, Pashtun, Mixed-Race, etc. Though the author's love of India and its peoples are apparent, Kaye is still brutally honest in the bigotry, racism and prejudice from the Indian characters to one an another as well as non-Indians—especially in Caste and religious matters, where prejudice runs ''rampant''. Essentially, there is no side that ''doesn't'' have some sort of prejudice in their own way—the British, and India in general, [[NotSoDifferent are mirrors of each other in that regard.]] That is not even covering the sexism, and the very inferior status of women in the very much male-dominated Raj, country, and overall era—globally!

* HappilyMarried: Ashton's parents were surprisingly this, despite a large [[MayDecemberRomance age gap]] between them, and a very unconventional marriage for the 1800's. Later on, [[spoiler: Ashton and Anjuli, though it starts off rocky; later, they're parted for a while due to Ashton's involvement in the Second Afghanistan War, but at the end of the book, leave to start their lives together in peace.]]

* GreyEyes: Ashton, again something he inherited from his mother. The illusion of their changing colour in certain lights is symbolic of his turbulent emotions, and his torn loyalties both to the British Raj and India—and also himself.

** Likewise, Ashton, though he only fell in love with Anjuli when he met her again as an adult, did not "fall for her" because she was this lovely Indian girl. Rather, he felt the deep bond and love for her based on their incommunicable past, which no one but them would ever know or understand. His love for her began with their connection from the past—she is the only thing from that era which hasn't, and [[CrowningMomentofHeartwarming which never does change for him.]] She is his stability, his unchanging comfort, his anchor. He needs her, he cannot live without her. She feels the same.

* WomenAreWiser: Anjuli is the one to put a stop to the dangerous, and [[Didn'tthinkThisThrough utterly absurd plan of Ashton's to have her run away with him.]] He's [[RageBreakingPoint furious]] about her refusal—but then [[MiseryBuildsCharacter grudgingly and bitterly comes to realize that she's absolutely right.]]

** Pretty much ''everyone'' gets their share of this, especially [[WarIsHell during the Second Afghan War]] where life shits on everyone.

* Wicked Stepmother: Janoo-rani to Anjuli.
* WideEyedIdealist: Over and over again, Ashton is told to stop thinking in such childish, black and white terms as "it's not fair", and to stop applying such an immature outlook to the far more complex problems of the real world. [[spoiler: At the end of the book, he finally does.]]

%%* MeanBrit: Every now and then, especially considering the [[UsefulNotes/TheRaj setting]] where classism, racism, sexism, and snobby superiority joined forces with each other.

* {{Omniglot}}:
** [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like his father before him]], Ashton is gifted with the ability to speak, read, and write in several languages, though this skill isn't limited to just himself—members of the Corps ''had'' to be able to do this, in order to communicate and more effectively "govern their subjects".

* PennyAmongDiamonds: George, though he does his best to hide it.

** George Garforth too, being half-caste, and [[PassFail trying to make it through British society.]]

Born at the foot of the Himalyas, the orphaned British child Ashton Pelham-Martyn is raised as an Indian by his ayah, Sita, who cares for him like her own son. When his true ethnicity is revealed to him, he is taken back to England to be molded into a proper Englishman. But it is in England where his identity first becomes a burden that is questioned time and time again by himself and others as he struggles to discover who Ashton truly is, and who he is not. Constantly at odds with both his peers and the world around him, Ashton realizes that it is both a blessing and a curse to see and understand multiple viewpoints, and to sympathize with more than one outlook in a world ruled and dictated by prejudice from all sides.

A truly monumental achievement, the British answer to America's ''Literature/GoneWithTheWind'' or Russia's ''Literature/WarAndPeace''—M.M Kaye's ''The Far Pavilions'' is the moving, passionate and utterly epic tale of an era now lost to the memory of a history book, and the troubled man caught time and time again between its pages.

Upon release, the book was so popular that that it caused travel agents to devise tours of the locations featured in the book though unfortunately since then, the book seems to have faded from most public memory. The Far Pavilions also inspired a massively popular mini-series adaptation in 1984 (one of Creator/{{HBO}}'s first major original productions), and in 2005 a stage musical. It was adapted again this time in the form of a RadioDrama in 2011.

* FatBastard: The Maharajah of Bithor who is as disgusting as he is evil.

* BadassNormal: No special powers, just pure SuperToughness, and impressive day-to-day {{Badass}} living for the Corps, natives, and majority of men in those days.

* HaveIMentionedThatIAmHeterosexualToday: Briefly stated while talking, it is mentioned in conversation that due to lack of women folk when out in the wilderness of India, British and Indian soldiers indulged their needs with younger boys or teenagers as there were no prostitutes around. [[{{What}} Ashton claims he simply cannot understand how some men resorted to this.]]

* BadassNormal: No special powers, just pure SuperToughness, and impressive {{Badassery}} for the Corps, natives, and majority of men in those days.

* BritishStuffiness: Every now and then, with the prudish, snotty, reserved behaviour of the woman (and some men), and incredibly starched manners in the cantonments. The intense desire of KeepingUpAppearances, class snobbery, and the classic StiffUpperLip. Being reserved and generally showing little emotion.

* ButNotTooBlack: Anjuli, who comes from mixed lineage thanks to her Russian grandfather, who fell in love with, and married her Indian grandmother. Early on in the book, George too—he ''almost'' passed, but [[AlphaBitch Belinda]] ruined his chances.

* DysfunctionJunction: Everywhere—what with a bit off BigScrewed-UpFamily, characters shuffled in and out of the TraumaCongaLine, half the cast with a DarkAndTroubledPast...basically, this book screws everyone over, and then [[UpToEleven a couple more times]] to get the job done right.

* FirstGirlWins: It was inevitable that Ashton would end up with Anjuli, whom he has known since she was just a baby, and he a young boy—but the way the author approaches this makes for a captivating read.

* GeniusBrusier: Ashton—he's got the brains, he's got the brawn, and he knows how to use both to his best advantage.

** Ashton loses his virginity rather amusingly when he's "taken advantage of" at the age of 16, by naughty housemaid Lily Briggs, five years his senior back in England. He's [[Doesn'tUnderstandSex confused by the encounter]] but goes along with it, finding it "immensely enjoyable", and proves to be an "apt pupil". They spend the next several days romping in bed together every night until their little fling is found out—Lily is dismissed, and Ashton is soundly thrashed. It's ''hilarious''.

* StatuesqueStunner: Anjuli grows from being a plain, unattractive child into a tall, shapely and lovely young woman with light brown/tawny eyes, and raven black hair.

Spanning over two decades of the 19th century's most turbulent years in India, it is the lush, sweeping story of one man struggling to find who he truly is amid the triumph and tribulations of his life set against both a British India and an ancient civilization slowly but surely turning towards the modern era. A book of love and war, prejudice and pride, courage and cruelty, honor and betrayal—and the unrelenting march of time that slows down for no one.

Born at the foot of the Himalyas, the orphaned British child Ashton Pelham-Martyn is raised as an Indian by his ayah, Sita who cares for him like her own son. When his true ethnicity is revealed to him, he is taken back to England to be molded into a proper Englishman. But it is in England where his identity first becomes a burden that is questioned time and time again by himself and others as he struggles to discover who Ashton truly is and is not. Constantly at odds with both his peers and the world around him, Ashton realizes that it is both a blessing and a curse to see and understand multiple viewpoints, and to sympathize with more than one outlook in a world ruled and dictated by prejudice from all sides.

At once a historical, political masterpiece, and a stunning, romantic fairytale of a world and era long gone, ''The Far Pavilions'' remains a marvelous marriage between the East and West; a wedding of two different cultures and the peoples of and by them.

It '''desperately needs a modern adaptation''' to re-introduce it to the public once again.

Edit: Most wonderfully, as of 2017 and as part of the ongoing U.K.-India Year of Culture, The Far Pavilions is Set for a $150 million remake in a joint production between the U.K and India!

Spanning over twenty of the 19th century's most turbulent years in India, it is a lush, sweeping story of one man struggling to find who he truly is amid the triumph and tribulations of his life set against both a British India and an ancient civilization slowly but surely turning towards the modern era. A book of love and war, prejudice and pride, courage and cruelty, honor and betrayal—and the unrelenting march of time that slows down for no one.

* {{Badass}}: Plenty, the most obvious example being Ashton.
** BadassBeard: Ashton sports one when he returns from going AWOL. Perhaps crossing over into BeardOfSorrow, considering the circumstances of the two years spent on the Frontier.
** BadassBookworm: [[BrainyBrunette Ashton.Pelham.Martyn]] who speaks, reads, and writes in several languages—and can still ''kick your ass''. Zarin, Koda Dad, and the rest. Pretty much ''all'' members of the Corps of Guides, and the locals who work along side them. You had to pass ''painfully'' difficult examinations and then some more to even be ''thought'' of as a future member of the Corps.
** BadassBystander: In a move he majorly comes to regret, as a boy, Ashton saves the life of Prince Lalji—and then the Prince makes him his official playmate, putting Ashton smack-dab in the middle of the intrigue, danger, and the lies of the palace. The only plus side of this is [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Ashton meeting baby Anjuli.]]
** BadassGrandpa: Akbar Khan and Koda Dad still kick ass in their old age, and offer words of wisdom on the side to aspiring badasses.
** BadassNormal: No special powers, just pure SuperToughness, and impressive {{Badassery}} for the Corps, natives, and majority of men in those days.
** RetiredBadass: Several former, older army men throughout the book such as Akbar Khan or Colonel Anderson—they may not be in action much anymore, but boy, are they still badass!

** RetiredBadass: Several former, older army men throughout the book—they may not be in action much, but boy, are they badass!

* BoardingSchool: Ashton is installed at the institution from twelve to eighteen.
** OffToBoardingSchool: Ashton is the victim of this, thanks to his newly discovered

* BrainyBrunette: Ashton is highly intelligent, speaking, reading and writing in several languages. He is also a cunning, and very shrewd soldier, as well as an excellent strategist. Anjuli is this as well, despite having no formal education whatsoever. Later on [[spoiler: after she and Ashton are married]], she quickly picks up English when he teaches her.

** BadassBookworm: [[BrainyBrunette Ashton.Pelham.Martyn]] who speaks, reads, and writes in several languages—and can still ''kick your ass''. Zarin, Koda Dad, and the rest. Pretty much ''all'' members of the Corps of Guides, and the locals who work along side them. You had to [[ExamHell pass difficult examinations]], and then some more to even be ''thought'' of as a future member of the Corps.
** BadassBystander: In a move he majorly comes to regret, as a boy, Ashton saves the life of Prince Lalji—and then the Prince makes him his official playmate, putting Ashton smak-dab in the middle of the intrigue, danger, and the lies of the palace. The only plus side of this is [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Ashton meeting baby Anjuli.]]

* EndOfAnAge: Several times. When [[spoiler: Ashton escapes from The Palace of the Winds, his life—and even his ''identity''—comes crashing down upon him.]] Again when [[spoiler: Ashton and Zarin part ways, Ashton himself realizes that that part of his life is over, and he is embarking on a new phase.]] And then at the very end of the book, [[spoiler: Ashton leaves every single thing or person (except for Anjuli and his servant, behind to start a new anonymous life where his own life began—at the foothills of the Himalayas, [[TitleDrop the Far Pavilions.]]

* HalfBreedDiscrimination: The British Raj is ''painfully'' cruel to those of mixed ancestry. [[spoiler:George]] learns this the hard way. Anjuli has some problems with this too. On the other hand, while every now and then the fully-white Ashton gets this comment upon his tanned looks, this is actually used to his ''advantage'', and becomes very handy several times—
allowing him to pass as North-Indian or Afghan for example.

** Ashton's good friend, Walter "Wally" Hamilton, is a fictionalized version of the real life Walter Richard Pollock Hamilton, the Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross—
the highest honour awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Lieutenant Hamilton was awarded this for his bravery in the Second Afghan War (a war featured heavily in the last two sub-books of ''The Far Pavilions''), where he was [[spoiler: killed in action in 1879 at the age of 23.]]

%%What exactly is he hiding?
%%Perhaps you should read the book? Or look at the Trope's meaning?

* AlphaBitch: Janoo-rani for starters, and then Belinda. Later on, Shushila.

* SexlessMarriage: [[spoiler: Fortunately for Anjuli, her marriage to the Rana is in name only; he never even lays a finger on her—
(which is good for [[CrazyJealousGuy Ashton]] as well).]]

* ChildOfTwoWorlds: Ashton could be the poster boy of this, being a white British boy who did not know of his British blood until he was 12, and had spent all his former years raised in Indian culture, and speaking the language. Needless to say, his sudden uprooting, and forceful induction into British culture and the UK, came as [[Understatement quite the culture shock]]. He spends almost the entirety of the book struggling to balance his two cultural sides, while trying to find out who Ashton truly is as a person.