Page 229 - DENG501_LITERARY_CRITICISM_AND_THEORIES

Unit 19: Two Types of Orientalism—Orientalism as a Literary Theory

• Like the term Orient itself Orientalism derives from a Latin word Oriens referring simply to Notes
the rising of the sun, to imply "the East" in a relative sense. This is the opposite of the term
Occident, which has largely dropped from common usage.
• Similar terms are the French-derived Levant and Anatolia, from the Greek anatole, two
further locutions for the direction in which the sun rises.
• In terms of The Old World, Europe was considered to be 'The West' or Occidental, and the
furthest known Eastern extremity 'The East' or 'The Orient'.
• From at least the time of the Roman Empire until at least the Middle Ages, what is now
considered 'the Middle East' was then considered 'the Orient'. During that period, the
flourishing cultures of the Far East were little known, just as Europe was essentially unknown
in 'the Far East.
• Over time, the common understanding of 'the Orient' has continually shifted East as Western
explorers traveled deeper into Asia. In Biblical times, the Three Wise Men 'from the Orient'
were actually Magi from "The East" (relative to Palestine) meaning 'the Persian Empire'.
After all period, as Europe gained knowledge of countries further to the East, the definition
of the limit of 'the Orient' progressively shifted eastwards, until the Pacific Ocean was reached,
in what is also known as 'the Far East'. This can cause some confusion about the historical
and geographic scope of Oriental Studies.
• However, there still remain some contexts where 'the Orient' or 'Oriental' refer to older
definitions. For example, 'Oriental Spices' typically come from regions extending from the
Middle East through the Indian sub-continent to Indo-China. Also, travel on the Orient
Express (from Paris to Istanbul), is eastward bound (towards the sunrise), but does not reach
what is currently understood to be the Orient.
• In contemporary English, Oriental is usually a synonym for the peoples, cultures and goods
from the parts of East Asia traditionally occupied by East Asians and Southeast Asians,
excluding Indians, Arabs and other more westerly peoples.
• In some parts of America it is considered derogatory to use this term to refer to Asians
(whether East, South, West or Central Asians). For example, in Washington state it is illegal
to use the word 'oriental' in legislation and government documents .

19.7 Key-Words

1. The Orient : It signifies a system of representations framed by political forces
that brought the Orient into Western learning, Western
consciousness, and Western empire. The Orient exists for the West,
and is constructed by and in relation to the West. It is a mirror
image of what is inferior and alien ("Other") to the West.
2. Latent Orientalism : It is the unconscious, untouchable certainty about what the Orient
is. Its basic content is static and unanimous. The Orient is seen as
separate, eccentric, backward, silently different, sensual, and passive.
It has a tendency towards despotism and away from progress. It
displays feminine penetrability and supine malleability. Its progress
and value are judged in terms of, and in comparison to, the West, so
it is always the Other, the conquerable, and the inferior.
3. Manifest Orientalism : It is what is spoken and acted upon. It includes information and
changes in knowledge about the Orient as well as policy decisions
founded in Orientalist thinking. It is the expression in words and
actions of Latent Orientalism.

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