Viewing the Islamic Orient

The Islamic Orient studies the travel accounts of four British travelers during the nineteenth century. Through a critical analysis of these works the author examines and questions Edward Saidâs concept of Orientalism and Orientalist discourse: his argument that the orientalist view had such a strong influence on westerners that they invariably perceived the orient through the lens of orientalism. On the contrary the author argues no single factor had an overwhelming influence on them. She shows that westerners often struggled with their own conceptions of the orient and being away for long periods from their homelands were in fact able to stand between cultures and view them both as insiders and outsiders. The literary devices used to examine these writings are structure characterization satire landscape description and word choice as also the social and political milieu of the writers. The major influences in the authorâs analysis are Said Foucault Abdel-Malek and Marie Louise Pratt. . Language: English