Orientalism in De Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium

The Malay

Interactions with Orient begin with "the Malay," contrasted against English girl

Malay is inherently servile; girl exhibits "mountain intrepidity" (Greenblatt 570)

Conscious interaction sets the tone: Malay "worships" De Quincey (Greenblat 570)

Contrasts with later hallucinations

De Quincey's Childhood

Flight, submission in hallucinations reflect De Quincey's life experiences

Early bullying from brother William prompts submission as a response

Tigrosylvania and Gombroon

Flight from Oxford, use of opium

Watson-Gordon, John. Thomas De Quincey. 1845, oil on canvas. National Portrait Gallery, London, England.

Conclusions

Works Cited

Background: Said's Orientalism

Confessions marks transition from balanced/Sinophilic conception to established Sinophobia

Profit motivation for writing and inclusion of imperialism reflect changes in Romantic magazine authorship

Inversion of normal Oriental narrative suggests problems accepting English identity

Historical Trends: Anglo-Chinese Relations

Christie, William. “China In Early Romantic Periodicals”. European Romantic Review 27.1 (2016): 25. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.

Fang, Karen. Romantic Writing and the Empire of Signs : Periodical Culture and Post-Napoleonic Authorship. Charlottesville, US: University of Virginia Press, 2010. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 1 November 2016.

Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. D. W.W. Norton and Company, 2012. Print.

Huang, Bo-Yuan. “China On The Periphery : Transitions Of Chinese "Orientalism" From Oliver Goldsmith To Thomas De Quincey.” (2014): British Library EThOS. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.

Gilray, James. Reception of the Diplomatique and His Suite in the Court of Pekin.

Hand-coloured etching, 1792. National Portrait Gallery, London.

Morrison, Robert. The English Opium Eater: A Biography of Thomas De Quincey. New York: Pegasus, 2010. Print.

Osborne, Patrick W. “Thomas De Quincey's Retreat into the "Nilotic Mud": Orientalism as a Response to Social Strain.” Thesis, Georgia State University, 2010.

Quincey, Thomas De. "Confessions of an English Opium-eater. (1822 Edition). Open Library. Taylor and Hessey, 1970. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

Remembering Edward Said. The Institute for Palestine Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

Said, Edward W. Orientalism. Pantheon Books, 1978.

The Younger Memnon. Photograph. British Museum, London, England.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/collectionimages/AN00612/AN00612374_001_l.jpg

Watson-Gordon, John. Thomas De Quincey. 1845, oil on canvas. National Portrait Gallery, London, England.

Thesis published in 1978

Challenges scholarly concept of "Orientalism"

Depends on European over Orient, dichotomous relationship

More valuable as a commentary on power dynamics (Said 6)

Confessions reflects evolving relations between England, China

Prior to 1792, narrative controlled by Jesuits; presented as "nation ruled by philosophers" (Huang 26)

Macartney Embassy in 1792 provided firsthand non-Jesuit reports

Reports on footbinding, kowtow, other practices shifts popular conception towards Sinophobia (Christie)

Introduction

Remembering Edward Said. The Institute for Palestine Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

De Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium Eater has historical, psychoanalytical value outside of entertainment

Work can be analyzed through New Historicism, Said's Orientalism

Ultimately reflects sociopolitical trends with China, emerging mass media trends, and the author's problems identifying with English values

Quincey, Thomas De. "Confessions of an English Opium-eater. (1822 Edition). Open Library. Taylor and Hessey, 1970. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

Gilray, James. Reception of the Diplomatique and His Suite in the Court of Pekin.

Hand-coloured etching, 1792. National Portrait Gallery, London.

Historical Trends: Magazine Culture

Post-Napoleonic (1815-) era marked by increased publication, readership

Coincided with expansion abroad; pieces reflected current events, imperialism

Creative works like "Ozymandias" mark British victories; authors could utilize this to increase readership (Fang 2)

The Younger Memnon. Photograph. British Museum, London, England.

The Hallucinations

Narrative control fails in hallucinations: De Quincey "transported through [the Malay's] means" to nightmares (Greenblatt 576)

Inverts earlier positional superiority: De Quincey forced into passive role by Malay

Responds by running, hiding from Oriental forces

Orientalism in De Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium Eater

by Taylor Hunter