Genre
Political book
Setting and Context
The book was written in the context of political and social ideologies.
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Neutral tone and mood
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonists are Lawrence, Burton, Flaubert and Chateaubriand.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is the British colonizer's summarization of the East Asian cultures to rule them. This deliberate misinterpretation destroyed the local cultures.
Climax
The climax comes when there is an open realization about the colonizer's false assumptions, which still affect the world 200 years after their departure.
Foreshadowing
The translation of oriental materials to dormant English foreshadowed the endless rule of the British in its colonies even after their independence.
Understatement
The British influence during colonization in East Asia and other parts of the world is understated.
Allusions
The story alludes to false assumptions planted by the British in their colonies.
Imagery
The imagery of sight is evident in the book. For instance, Said writes, “What Dante the pilgrim sees as he walks through the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso is a unique vision of judgment…."Maometto.”
Paradox
The main narrative is that modern Asia is not yet free of orientalism because the pillars of British colonizers are still deeply rooted in their governance structures.
Parallelism
Most of the governance structures in place today in Asia are parallel to Britain’s system of governance.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Colonization is embodied.
