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Unit 10: Once There was a King by Rabindranath Tagore

It can be found that Tagore anticipates these postmodern emphases on the permutations Notes
and combinations governing character-structure today, especially in the open-ended
‘closure’ of narration in ‘The Lost Jewels’, ‘Hungry Stones’, ‘Once there was a King’, ‘The
Victory’ and ‘Vision’, among other famous short stories of his.

In ‘Once There Was a King’ the story begins with the sentence “once upon a time there was
a king” and the narration continues with that. The narrator says that though a very young
child does not differentiate between one king and another so long as there is a king in the
story, modern readers are more perceptive and exact, critical and suspicious.

10.8 Keywords

Aesthetics: It can be defined as the branch of philosophy which deals with such notions as the
beautiful, the ugly, the sublime, the comic, etc. It is basically the study of mind and emotions in
relation to the sense of beauty.
Ambassador: An accredited diplomat sent by a state as its permanent representative in a foreign
country.
Lineage: The word lineage is used to describe everyone who descends from a particular ancestor.
Novella: A short novel often characterized by moral teaching or satire is called novella.

Perceptive: It means having or showing an ability to understand or notice something easily or
quickly.
Philosopher: A person engaged or learned in philosophy, especially as an academic discipline.

Prolific: It means producing abundant works or results for instance, a prolific artist.
Travelogue: A movie, book, or illustrated lecture about the places visited and experiences
encountered by a traveller is called a travelogue.

Answers: Self Assessment

1. (a) 2. (a)
3. (c) 4. (b)
5. (a)

10.9 Review Questions

1. Write an introductory paragraph about Rabindranath Tagore.

2. Throw light on the major works of Rabindranath Tagore.
3. Throw light on the life of Rabindranath Tagore.
4. Why was Rabindranath Tagore given Nobel Prize?
5. Name a few short stories written by Rabindranath Tagore.

6. What were Rabindranath Tagore’s views on politics?
7. Write briefly about Tagore’s contribution to Poetry.
8. What appeals to you in the story Once There was a King?
9. What does this story Once There was a King have to say about death?

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