The paper "The East in the Western Perception: Orientalism in some selected Poems of Lord Byron" by Afaf Ahmed Hasan Al-Saidi examines Lord Byron's portrayal of the East, particularly the Middle East, in his poetry. The study aims to analyze Byron's type of Orientalism and how it reflects Western perceptions of the East in the 19th century.
The research employs a critical analysis of selected poems by Byron, including Don Juan and Beppo, to investigate his approach to depicting Eastern themes, characters, and settings. The methodology involves close reading of the texts and contextual analysis of Byron's life experiences and the broader cultural milieu of British Romanticism.
Key findings indicate that Byron's Orientalism was heavily influenced by imperial attitudes and commercial interests rather than authentic representation. The author argues that Byron deliberately distorted and exoticized the East to cater to Western readers' tastes and reinforce notions of Western superiority. His depictions of Muslim women and Eastern cultures are shown to be largely fabricated and stereotypical.
The study concludes that Byron's Oriental works reflect more about his own personality and English society than the realities of the Middle East. Despite his first-hand experiences in the region, Byron's portrayals are deemed inauthentic and shaped by racist and imperialist ideologies prevalent in 19th century Britain. The paper asserts that Byron's Orientalism aligns with Edward Said's critiques of Western representations of the East as a means of asserting dominance.
This research contributes to understanding how Romantic literature shaped Western perceptions of the East and highlights the complex relationship between literary Orientalism and imperial ambitions. It demonstrates the enduring influence of Byron's works in constructing stereotypical views of Eastern cultures that persist in Western imagination.