Romantic Orientalism
Romantic Orientalism during the Romantic period of writing is visible in "The Indian Serenade" by Percy Shelley, "The Little Black Boy" by William Blake, and "Lamia" by John Keats. The exaggerations, cultural expressions, references to African or Indian background, and fictional story lines and characters play as proof that Romantic Orientalism is pieced into these author 's writings, considering these are characteristics of which Romantic Orientalism displays. Each author, Shelley, Blake, and Keats, all display different characteristics of these Romantic Orientalism qualities.
First, Percy Shelley displays characteristics of Romantic Orientalism in his lyric "The Indian Serenade". Before even reading the lyric, the title gives the reader a hint of Romantic Orientalism, through the idea of looking through the eyes of a group of legendary people the Indians. By the end of the lyric, it is possible to receive a mental picture of the surroundings that the Indian speaker sees, but if it were not for the title, the reader would not make the connection that this lyric is from an Indian 's perspective. So since there is a title, it is possible to see other characteristics that suggest Orientalism. Another way this sense of Romantic Orientalism can be seen is through the abundant natural language that Shelley uses to describe the surroundings of the speaker. The speaker illustrates, "The wandering airs they faint / On the dark, the silent stream / And the champak 's odours"(Shelley). These words, amongst others presented in the lyric, paint a picture in the reader 's mind of what it is like to take a walk on a beautiful Indian night. It presents the geographic display of a different reality not seen in the readers every day life, therefore creating the concept of Romantic Orientalism.
This vivid description of the outside world also corresponds with the inner feelings that the speaker experiences. Throughout the lyric, there is much exaggeration of both
First, Percy Shelley displays characteristics of Romantic Orientalism in his lyric "The Indian Serenade". Before even reading the lyric, the title gives the reader a hint of Romantic Orientalism, through the idea of looking through the eyes of a group of legendary people the Indians. By the end of the lyric, it is possible to receive a mental picture of the surroundings that the Indian speaker sees, but if it were not for the title, the reader would not make the connection that this lyric is from an Indian 's perspective. So since there is a title, it is possible to see other characteristics that suggest Orientalism. Another way this sense of Romantic Orientalism can be seen is through the abundant natural language that Shelley uses to describe the surroundings of the speaker. The speaker illustrates, "The wandering airs they faint / On the dark, the silent stream / And the champak 's odours"(Shelley). These words, amongst others presented in the lyric, paint a picture in the reader 's mind of what it is like to take a walk on a beautiful Indian night. It presents the geographic display of a different reality not seen in the readers every day life, therefore creating the concept of Romantic Orientalism.
This vivid description of the outside world also corresponds with the inner feelings that the speaker experiences. Throughout the lyric, there is much exaggeration of both
Cited: Feb. 2006 .