Page 244 - DENG501_LITERARY_CRITICISM_AND_THEORIES

Literary Criticism and Theories

Notes • Edward Said however seem to have fallen in the same trap he attributes to Orientalism, he
has not attempted to explore Arab writings of the periods he discussed nor has he attempted
to present (possibly even read) work by Egyptian and Arab historians of the periods he was
addressing save for work carried out in the west and within western universities. In doing
so, Said fails to see how the modern and contemporary "orient" sees itself through primarily
"oriental" eyes such as Ibn Khaldoun, Al Maqrizi and also through the writings of orientalists
like Lane. Said also fails to address the work carried out by orientalists based on many
manuscripts of Orientals.
• I particularly enjoyed Said's analysis of the strong ties that Orientalism has with power and
colonialism. Said analysis of the diverging development of the British and French practice
based on the latter's limited success as a colonial power was very enjoyable and very well
thought out. The Orientalism Today and indeed the Afterwards section are also very
informative and as these were more familiar areas for Said his presentation of ideas and
thoughts came across more clearly and the writing was far less tedious than the earlier parts
of the book.
• Orientalism is not an easy read, it will challenge many established views, indeed it has
already with a fair degree of success led to changes in the way the Near East is studied. To
me, most of all I see this as a book that offers in part a largely coherent explanation for the
on-going misunderstanding between the West and the Near East and in Islam. And while
Occidentalism does not exist as a field of study in a place like Egypt per se, Said fails to see
that the west is viewed largely in terms of its wealth, promiscuous habits, hypocrisy and anti
Islam and thus fails to see it as 2 way street, albeit with unequal power.

20.5 Key-Words

1. Orientalism : It is "a manner of regularized (or Orientalized) writing, vision, and study,
dominated by imperatives, perspectives, and ideological biases ostensibly suited
to the Orient." It is the image of the 'Orient' expressed as an entire system of
thought and scholarship.
2. The Oriental : It is the person represented by such thinking. The man is depicted as feminine,
weak, yet strangely dangerous because poses a threat to white, Western women.
The woman is both eager to be dominated and strikingly exotic. The Oriental
is a single image, a sweeping generalization, a stereotype that crosses countless
cultural and national boundaries.
20.6 Review Questions

1. Why, according to Said, can't Orientalism simpl be dismissed as the product of Western
imperialism? What specific ideas and phenomena does Said, on page 1993, include in the
concept of Orientalism?
2. What is Said's view on whether "pure knowledge" can be kept separate from "political
knowledge" (1997)? Why is it nonetheless necessary to "eliminate from the start any notion
that 'big' facts like imperial domination can be applied mechanically and deterministically to
such complex matters as culture and ideas" (1999)?
3. How does Said, around page 2002, justify his method of delimiting and dealing with
Orientalism as a subject for study?
4. How does Said account for "the personal dimension"--that is, for his own situation as a
Palestinian writing about Orientalism?
5. What is the goal of his book Orientalism? How does his Introduction function as a defense of
theorizing about Orientalism?

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