The Postcolonial Literature

Parmar Dipali K.Roll No: 24

Topic: Concept of OrientalismUnit: 3 “Orientalism: Edward Said”

M.A. Sem. 3Batch: 2015-’17

Email Id: dipaliparmar247@gmail.comDepartment Of English (M.K.B.U.)

Orientalism

Index Introduction

History of Orientalism1.Definition of the term2.The first Orientalists Orientalism in Art1. Imitation of Oriental styles2.Examples of Orientalism in

Arts Edward Said and

Orientalism References

Introduction In the 19th century, a trend for the Orient appeared. The artists

were inspired by its luxury, its mystery and the supernatural that surrounded this part of the world. But this new craze for Orientalism was also the reflection of several historical events such as:

-the Egyptian campaign (1798-1799) -the Greek war for Independence (1821-1829) -the conquest of Algiers by the French (1830) -the opening of the Suez Canal (1869) -the progressive dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire because

of rivalries and of colonial ambitions.

History of the Orientalism1. Definition: Orientalism refers to the “Orient” + “Occident”. “Orient” means “The East” “Occident” means “The West”. ‘Orientalism’ word’s root word is ‘Oriens’ which means……….

The Eastern Part of the WorldThe EastThe Rising SunDaybreak &Dawn

Thus Orientalism means styles, aspects or traits considered characteristics of the people of Asia.

2. The First Orientalists: The first "Orientalists" were 19th century

scholars who translated the writings of the Orient into English, based on the idea that an effective colonial downfall requires knowledge of the dominated peoples.

This is the idea of knowledge as a power exposed by Said.

Said thinks that by knowing the Orient, the West came to own it.

There is the image of the Orient as passive while the West was active.

So according to Said, it is imperialism which motivated Orientalism.

Orientalism In Art1.Imitation of Oriental styles

Imitations of oriental styles began in the 18th century with the Turqueries that could be found in clothing, literature, music and furniture.

Then, from 18th century, Western designers attempted to imitate the technical sophistication of Chinese ceramics, this was called Chinoiserie.

After 1860, Japonaiserie became an important influence in the western arts.

James McNeill Whistler's "Peacock Room" is one of the finest works of this genre.

Peacock Room

La Prière dans la maison.

2. Examples of Orientalism in Arts: In Literature…1704, the first French translation of “Arabian Nights” by Antoine Galland. In Poetry…1816, The poem “Kubla Khan” by S.T. Coleridge In Painting…the painting ofJean-Léon Géromés La Prière dans la maison. In Music…Popular song “Princess of China” by Coldplay and Rihanna.

Edward Said & Orientalism Orientalism had no negative connotation before Said’s work publication of “Orientalism”. Said emphasized the relationship between power and knowledge. Said argued that Orient and Occident worked as oppositional terms,

so that the "Orient" was constructed as a negative inversion of Western culture.

The historian Bernard Lewis, also criticized Said's theory. He argues that Orient as a negative mirror image of the West is not wholly true.

Recently, the term Occidentalism has been used to refer to the negative views of the Western world that can sometimes be found in Eastern societies today.

Reference https://

youtu.be/ieqv2RdYeiY https://

youtu.be/PuyMKB3pyYs http://

www.onefineart.com/en/articles_arts/orientalism-painting.shtml

Thank You