The Moonstone Terms

A golden, gem-studded staff owned by the Russsian monarchy since its creation in 1774. Set inside the Russian Imperial Scepter is the infamous Orlov diamond, which was stolen from India by a French soldier in… read analysis of The Russian Imperial Scepter

Like the Orlov diamond in the Russian Imperial Scepter, a famous large Indian diamond that inspired the novel’s Moonstone. Its recorded history stretches back to at least the 14th century, and the untimely… read analysis of The Koh-i-Noor

Conventionally spelled Somnath, which means “Lord of the Moon,” a famous ancient temple to the Hindu god Shiva in what is now the western Indian state of Gujarat. In The Moonstone, Somnauth (which Collins… read analysis of Somnauth

Now officially called Varanasi, an ancient city on the Ganges River that remains the holiest city in Hinduism. After its theft from Somnauth, the Moonstone was taken to Varanasi from the 11th to 18th… read analysis of Benares

A town in the present-day south Indian state of Karnataka, which is an important pilgrimage center for Vishnu worshippers and contains a fort that was the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore until its destruction… read analysis of Seringapatam

The Indian caste of teachers and priests. The three men who come to England in order to retrieve the Moonstone are Brahmins, probably descendants of the original three priests charged by the Lord Vishnu to… read analysis of Brahmin

The Indo-Persian Muslim empire that ruled much of the Indian subcontinent from 1526 to 1857. read analysis of Mughal

A militaristic, controversial Mughal emperor who expanded the Empire to its largest territorial extent in the second half of the 17th century. In The Moonstone, Aurungzebe (conventionally spelled Aurangzeb) steals the Moonstone from Benares… read analysis of Aurungzebe

In 19th-century England, the overseer who managed a landed family’s estate. This was Gabriel Betteredge’s job for most of his life, until he grew old and Lady Julia Verinder made him something of a… read analysis of Bailiff

In Victorian England, reformatories were prison centers and schools designed to teach young criminals marketable skills (rather than relegating them to a life of crime). Rosanna, the maid at Julia Verinder’s estate, went… read analysis of Reformatory

An archaic British word for someone dishonorable or untrustworthy. read analysis of Blackguard

A large county in northern England where the Verinder family’s estate is located. read analysis of Yorkshire

A fictional town near the Verinder estate. Its name is taken from a real area of the Yorkshire city of Bradford. read analysis of Frizinghall

A historically Celtic region in northwestern France, where Miss Clack moves after economic changes push her out of England. read analysis of Brittany

A city on the southern English coast, to which Rachel Verinder moves during her brief, ill-fated engagement to Godfrey Ablewhite. read analysis of Brighton

An extremely addictive liquid opium solution commonly used for a variety of ailments in Victorian England. Based on the author’s own opium addiction, the novel’s plot ultimately revolves around the laudanum-addicted doctor Ezra Jennings giving… read analysis of Laudanum

A boat docking area by the Tower of London in central London, to which Mr. Bruff, Franklin Blake, and Sergeant Cuff follow the man dressed as a sailor (actually Godfrey Ablewhite) after… read analysis of Tower Wharf

A large city in the Netherlands, and the most important port city in Europe. read analysis of Rotterdam

A peninsula region of the present-day Indian state of Gujarat, in which the temple of Somnauth is located. read analysis of Kattiawar