Geraldine Brooks, Orientalist

Well, Brooks has been quite the roller coaster ride for me. One minute, she really likes the culture, the next minute, the culture is oppressive and backward. The class discussions have really helped me wade through her inane rants and valid points. It is really apparent that Brooks is definitely orientalist and, though her preface seems to indicate otherwise, she contributes greatly to widening the East/West divide. Though there are points in her narrative that are definitely positive, an overwhelming amount has been negative, and even pessimistic. To sum it all up, all you have to do is look at the chapter on "Gaining Wisdom" to see her apparent prejudices. Faced with what she would have thought to be a college full of feminist scholars, she realizes that an overwhelming number of the girls to be happy with their lot in life and aggressively against feminism. This realization strikes her to be backward and she is pissed off. Her anger over the "wrong" happiness of these girls, she (to me) blatantly sabotages a relationship with a girl that could have given her valuable insight into whey they thought that way. She was the breadwinner of her family, she adopted the hijab late in her life (according to custom, anyway) and supported her imprisoned brother. A fundamentalist to the core, and an apparent convert to that way of thinking, she really could have given Brooks valuable insight into what Brooks states is her objective; understanding hijab and everything that goes along with it. Apparently unreligious, she points out that she is a Jew in a territory where being a Jew is a viable death sentence. This seems to fall in line with what was brought up in class as "Gonzo Reporting", or the reporting of exaggerated events to sell copies of your article/book. Now, I don't advocate hiding your beliefs or lying about your religious affinity, however, I think it was done here more for shock value and the creation of tension for the reader more than for a stand on her beliefs. I really don't get the feeling that Brooks really has much belief in anything, her conversion seeming to be out of convenience and respect for her in-laws more than any real belief. But that's just me. Anyway, I'll get off of my soap-box for now. I hope everyone had a happy Halloween!

Bell, continued

I have finished the reading relating to Gertrude Bell and her exploits. I want to reiterate just how wonderful it was to read her account! It was well written, entertaining, and easy to read. Her portrayals of the thoughts and opinions of the people she traveled with were vivid and engaging. I really feel as if I understand just a little bit more of this mysterious culture. The talk we had about Bell on Wednesday was really interesting and I enjoyed everyone's opinions and takes on different passages in her account. I would really have liked the writing exercise I did in class to be my blog for this week, but alas, we handed it in and I can't remember exactly what I wrote. The point that was made about middle-eastern eating habits sticks out in my memory. It is really interesting the contrast between Western culture thinking that eating a whole lot of food is good for you and the best way to remain healthy and the Eastern culture seeing excessive eating as somewhat of a weakness and should only be used for company. Looking forward a few hundred years, we see that in the West, obesity reigns supreme and people are very unhealthy, whereas the East still eat sparingly and much healthier and are hardier, not to mention thinner, than the West. The inverse meaning behind something as simple as eating is incredibly intriguing and gives me more of a diversity in the analyzing of motives. It was shown to me that, in all things, there is meaning that should be honored and repeated if we want to make progress with other people from other cultures. Looking forward to the wrap up and the next leg of our continuing journey.

A Different Point of View

I have just finished reading Bell's first two chapters and biography regarding her travels in the Middle East. I really enjoy her form of writing. It is entertaining, descriptive and informative all at the same time. When I printed out the selection, I was thinking that it was going to be a lot of reading, ick. Then, I started reading. Her flowy and descriptive writing style sucked me right into her story and it felt as if I was sitting around the fire in the cave with her and the men, discussing the weather and gossip of the day. She really is engaging and entertaining. I love her detailed descriptions of the ruins and other structures that she encounters. At this point, you don't see so much of her tragic love story shining through, but you certainly see her intellect and love of exploring places she has never been before. So far, I am really enjoying this author. It is also interesting to see the subtle differences in descriptions and opinions from the turn of the century versus victorian writing. Though Bell is extremely detailed and engaging, it doesn't seem to be infused with so much grandeur like her Victorian counterparts. Bell seems to focus more on practicalities, architecture and history, rather than the "quaintness" of the mysterious culture surrounding her. Though she does comment on different qualities and rituals of the culture, she doesn't seem to be so in awe of it. She seems more interested as a third party historical witness, than an interpreter of culture. The difference really is interesting to see. The discussion this evening should be really interesting.

Lady Montagu, Part 2 (Also in response to required Entry for Oct. 1)

As with the first set of letters, I really enjoyed this second set as well. I was particularly enchanted by the encounter with the Lady Fatima in Antinople. It was really interesting to see that, though the encounter was very much in line with the Turkish culture, it also seemed to be very similar to the tea time visits in London by the upper echelons of society. The visit was only entertained by women and they talked entirely of things that were, for a lack of a better term right now, fun, and not politically driven. I was also taken by her absolute unabashadness in describing Fatima's inestimable beauty. It was riveting and intimate without being shocking or sexual in nature. You don't see that kind of descriptive ability too often, not to mention that it was pure in it's emotion, not fabricated. It helped show the importance of social encounters in that culture and that the kinds of entertainment and the extent of the meals, company, etc. are extremely important in showing the hostess' social status.

I also found it interesting that, at one point, Lady Montague seems to be worried about losing her own culture and identity through being firmly entrenched in the foreign lands for so long. However, her later letters no longer let on that worry. I don't know if it was because she had just had a child for no reason other than to remove a social stigma from her family, that coupled with raging hormones so soon after birthing, caused a little extra emotion than was really there, or if she was truly worried about losing her identity. However, as is evident by her later letters, she rebounded her English well and was no longer worried about it. In these later letters, since Lady Montague has been there for a few years now, we really start getting vivid descriptions of every day life, the social pecking order, and the superstitions and prejudices that the Ottomans have. I really enjoyed this bunch of letters and am looking forward to Monday's continued discussion.

Lady Montagu's First Set of Letters

As I was very ill Monday, I thought I'd post about my experience with Lady Montagu's first round of letters. I really enjoyed reading them, as they were not only very informative, but very conversational in their tone. It was like talking to an old girlfriend over coffee, and I really liked that feeling. It's interesting to see how she goes from an observer to a semi-active participant in the culture. She describes her Turkish clothing very well, and it was easy to conjure up a picture in my head.

One thing I noticed that was different from the other authors is the kind of descriptions and information she gives. We see the female side of life, as well as an overall deeper sense of intimacy with the culture at large. We see that, from her perspective, the lavish coverings of the women actually allow the women more freedom to do what they please, since they are unrecognizable and ignored in the streets by their very husbands. She also sees the women as having a lot of power, though it isn't necessarily political. It seems that, from this perspective, the entire culture takes on a different meaning and takes us all to a different level of understanding that we have not seen before. The personal nature of the letters also make it much easier to read than her male counterparts (to this point anyway) and more exciting to understand. I am really enjoying this section of our reading.

And so we begin the journey

I am sitting here thinking about what I've read in this class so far, and I am taken aback. I have already learned more than I expected! It is so interesting to see a culture that has been just so much a mystery to me. My "Culture Experience" with the Middle-East/Turkey has been movies and fictional books about a mysterious culture with startlingly barbaric rituals and ways of life. I read Armstrong and turn of the century accounts of travels and realize that, though there is some degree of barbarism, it's not nearly what they portray in pop culture formats. There is a simplistic beauty to the culture, with intricate rituals and strong beliefs. They are a strong-willed people with determination like no other for the simple right to survive as they see fit. I hope that, throughout this semester, I continue to learn about this culture and see who they are in a way that is fair representation. I hope that each adventure is more exciting, more transformative, and open my eyes more to the people I have never hoped to know. I am increasingly glad that I elected to attend this class and am looking forward to learning more.