Farewell Entry

Well, this is it. The last blog entry for this class. I can't say I'm sorry to see the end of the semester come. I'm exhausted! So ready for a break. But I really would like to say that I found this class very enjoyable and informative and enlightening.

In closing I guess it only makes sense to tackle the subject of travel and the value of travel writing. In short: I'm in favor of both.

I would love to travel more than I do. One of my dream vacations is to visit Egypt and the Pryamids. I've always been fascinated by the Ancient Egyptians. I've always marvelled at their architecture and the many feats they managed during those long ago centuries. None of that has changed. I'll still research the Ancient Egyptians just for the sake of sating my curiosity. However, I think I'll begin to pay more attention to Egypt's neighbors and the diverse culture that surrounds its borders.

I've never wanted to visit the Middle East. I've always been content to view it from afar. Mostly this contentedness has to do with safety. I'm all for travelling as long as I feel secure in doing so. The Middle East can't boast of safe passage for visitors, especially in today's world, and that means I'm perfectly happy to stay at home and read or watch TV.

Not exactly the best way to learn about a foreign culture, is it? I don't think so, either. However, you work with what you have. And now I realize I have access to a lot more information than I ever realized.

Right now I'm working on my final paper for this class and I have to admit I'm enjoying the research more than I had anticipated. I found a book in the library that gives a voice to the Middle Eastern women. Not one voice. Many voices. Instead of getting a travel writer's perspective on this populace, I'm able to read the Muslim woman's perspective on herself, her culture and her values. If not for this class, I'm sure I ever would have given this book so much as a second glance. What a waste that would have been.

I think that's the thing I've taken away from this class: the opportunity to break down stereotypes is all around us, but many of us don't take advantage of those resources and are content to live with the images sold to us by the media. Courses like this generate more than conversation. They provide an opporunity for growth.

Snow - The End

I really enjoyed this book. It managed to surprise me here and there, not through grand revelations but with minor insights and observations. I have to admit I like it when my initial, instinctual reactions are confirmed, which I felt had happened by the end of the novel.

I could go on about the author's writing style and character development, but I don't think that's suppose to be the focus of our energies. Instead, I think it might better serve the purpose of this course to step back and look at the big issues the author chose to tackle: the headscarf, Islam Extremists, Muslim perception and self-perception.

If we pull out those passages in the book where the story deals with the headscarf, I think it supports my earlier opinions on the subject. The headscarf is an outward declaration of either faith and/or social/political ideology. I've come to the conclusion that the veil (or headscarf or hijab) is no different than my choice to wear a little gold cross on a chain around my neck or my sister's choice to wear the neopagan symbols that represents her belief system. The characters in Snow pretty much give voice to my perspective on the matter. While one woman may wear it because she believes that's what the Koran instructs her to do, another may wear it in support of a less devout cause.

Since I plan on writing my final paper on this subject matter, I'm going to stop there and skip ahead to the Extremists. I really think Snow gives the most sympathetic view of Islamic Extremists that I've seen. Of course, this could be because the Extremists were kept focused on Turkey and not seen as madmen plotting the destruction of the West. Sure, there was a lot of bashing and deriding of Western values, but nothing that seemed comparable to al-Quaeda. I think this is important because it helps to broaden the definition of an "extremist" and their goals.

What I truly found interesting in this book was the whole concept of perception. In many ways, I feel this was truly one of the main objectives of the author. While most people are concerned with how other's perceive them, this story seemed to emphasize the depth of this worry in the Muslim and Turkish communities. The struggle for identity echoed the struggle between Eastern and Western values. The need to reject and denounce Western influences helped define some characters, just as the opposite need to mimic Western society seemed to define others.

I can see now the value in this book, even if it is only a piece of well-written fiction.

Snow - to page 237

Guess having a long weekend helped. I actually managed to get caught up in both classes. Go me!


The book is picking up speed. While I'm enjoying it, I have to remind myself it's not a romance novel. I'm going to blame this romance mind-set on my current WIP (I'm 87K words into the novel now and obsessing about getting the hero and heroine back together). I have to remind myself that even though Ka's main goal - in his mind - is all about the woman, the story is really about something completely different.

So some random thoughts/observations so far:

1) The Revolution didn't come as a surprise - the political tension pretty much took a front seat in this book in Chapter One. What did come as a surprise was the location of the first revolutionary act. I figured something would happen at the theatre, just not that the actors on the stage had such a big role to play.

2) Another surprise was Blue and Kadife. I'm not sure I like the interpersonal exchanges between them. It feels...forced...faked...misleading. It probably isn't, but right now they just seem like a very odd couple despite their similiarities.

3) Although I'm beginning to worry a bit less about Ka's survival, I'm still not convinced he's going to come away unscathed. Probably the suspicious reader in me having issues with the narrator is the source of this unease..

4) The poetry. I talked a bit about this in class, but I really do feel like he's channelling the opinions of those he associates with during the course of the book. This is not to say his creativity is in question or his passion suspect, but I find it interesting how the voice of the common people ends up incorporated into each poem, sometimes word for word.

Pamuk's Snow

We started our first and only piece of fiction this week. I'm not exactly sure how we're supposed to analyze this story because of that. Everything else we've read so far has been non-fiction and we were judging the value of the disclosed information as well as making educated guesses about the autobiographer. That won't work here. At least, I don't think it will.

So, what then is left to analyze? The story and the author's presentation.

I like that the story is told in 3rd person. What is a little disconcerting, at least at first, is the realization there is an active narrator telling the story to the reader. The fact the author felt it was necessary to use a narrator makes me wonder why. Is he reliable? That's the first question. If he is, then does that mean the main character (MC) is unable to tell his own story? Is this a form of foreshadowing?

Those questions won't be answered for awhile yet, so I guess we should look instead at what our main character is up to and why. His motivation for returning to his hometown has two different faces: the public and the private. He says he's there as a journalist, looking to write stories on the head scarf girls who are committing suicide and the upcoming election. However, he's really there in hopes of convincing Ipek to marry him.

What starts out as a simple story becomes more of a cultural journey or exploration. Matters of religion and politics become a central focus when the MC begins his interviews of the girls' families. The noose tightens when he happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. After he witnesses the execution of a teacher who upheld the secular laws prohibiting the girls into the school if they refused to remove their head scarfs, the MC is drawn into a situation he never could have anticipated.

I'm only 80 some pages in and there's a lot of book left, but I expect things are about to get much worse for the MC. In truth, I'm anticipating he may not survive the story, which is why the narrator is necessary.

Assignment #5

Comparing Brooks & an essay by Ashraf Zahedi regarding the "Contested Meaning of the veil and political ideologies of Iranian regimes".

In Geraldine Brook's book, 9 Parts of Desire, the author becomes engrossed in the status and rights of Middle Eastern women. When I ran across Zahedi's essay, it seemed the two would tie in nicely together. After all, Brooks starts her narrative off by introducing Khomeini, a prominent figure in the Iranian revolution of 1979, who in her opinion was responsible for persuading "women that wearing of a medival cloak was a revolutionary act". (Brooks, p. 16) Strangely, Zahedi doesn't mention Khomeini once.

However, the Revolution does get its own little section in in Zahedi's essay. The credit - or blame - for what happens during this timeframe is laid at the regime's feet, which found support in both the clerical and secular camps. "Conservative clerics had a vast network of mosques through which they were able to propagate the importantce of traditional roles for women. Secularists supporting women's causes glorified the revolution as the ultimate means of advancing women's rights." (p. 8)

Of course, one of the main points of contention revolved around the veil. Zahedi does a nice job of giving a brief but well-told history of the veil and how it developed into its modern symbolism. Unlike the very disjointed and almost incomprehensible presentation Brooks gives on the subject, Zahedi's essay is easy to read and very informative. Perhaps narrowing the focus to one nation makes all the difference.

One of the more interesting things Zahedi mentions regarding the revolution is that the "women who had symbolically taken up the chador to support vieled women and the revolution came to the realization that they had no control over the meaning of the symbol and its instutionalization" (p.8) After reading that statement and taking a moment to reconsider Brooks' book, I can see this echoed in 9 Parts of Desire.

Brooks does provide examples of both the veiled and unveiled Muslim woman. While her own prejudices are unavoidable, she does try to present the two sides of this emotionally charged topic.

In many ways I much prefer the straightforwardness and matter-of-fact presentation of Zahedi's essay to Brook's wandering style. I didn't have to continually try to figure out where the author had relocated to or what point she was trying to make. Zahedi's essay is structured and easy to follow. There's no guess work involved.

While Brooks' book contains some of the same historical data, I don't know I could have pulled it out in a cohesive manner. However, to her benefit, her book offered a more personable approach. Whereas Khomeini is lumped - name unmentioned - into the regime Zahedi focuses on, Brooks is able to give the reader some insight into the man behind the revolution. She allows his family to speak of him as a man, a father, and even a grandfather. He is given a personality and some depth.

I think this is one of the main differences between travel writing and essays: the personal element. Essays like Zahedi's tend to be very academic in flavor, whereas travel writings allow for more introspection, subjectivism, and real life experience. So while I would prefer to read Zahedi's if I'm looking for a concrete, cohesive history lesson, I'd rather read Brooks' book to catch a glimpse of what's behind the facts.

Article Source: Zahedi, Ashraf. "Contested meaning of the veil and political ideologies of Iranian regimes.(Essay)." JMEWS: Journal of Middle East Women's Studies 3.3 (Fall 2007): 75(24). Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Michigan Flint. 15 Nov. 2007 . .

The Prince of The Marshes

I'm so much better with the older travel writings. I find them more interesting than our more modern readings. This doesn't surprise me. I often find it very difficult to get into current events, whereas history fascinates me. This makes reading books like 9 Parts Desire and The Prince of the Marshes more work than pleasure.

I really can't blame the authors, though. I think is more about me than about them. Their writing styles and voices are easier to absorb than those of earlier generations. Their topics are relevant to the world I live in. No, the fault is entirely my own.

That being said, I have tried to read more of Rory Stewart's book than we've been assigned. I wanted to read it all, straight through, because I figure this might give me a more solid foundation upon which I can base my opinions of what's going on over in Iraq. I've made it more than halfway through the book. I've learned a lot. However, I'm going to have to skip ahead and read the assigned reading today if I want to partcipate in class tonight.

I'd like to say I'm going to go back and read the whole book, but we'll see.

9 Parts Desire - Finished

The end of this book was quite interesting. I have to give the author credit for at least realizing her own prejudices and hang-ups regarding women in the Middle East. When she talks about how her memories are a mixture of good and bad impressions, I find that honest.

However, I still have some issue with how the book was put together. I almost wish the last chapter had been first. I think it would have given me some perspective to work with that didn't leave me such a bitter assessment of this journalist-turned-author.

It takes a lot of courage to admit you have prejudices. I'm not sure if my overall reaction to the book would have been different had the organization been a little more "up front", but I'd like to think so. If she had opened with an admission to her inability to accept the state of women in Islam based upon the experiences she was about to relate, I might have found her a bit more sympathetic. After all, she is the "main character" in this book and most authors want the reader to feel some kind of kinship for the protagonist.

Granted, this wasn't a work of fiction, so perhaps the same rules don't apply.

Overall, I'd say this book feeds into the Western stereotypes already so dominant in the US and like-minded countries. It confirmed our darkest suspicions about how Muslim women are treated in the Middle East. What it didn't do - and I believe this is intentional - is present any kind of insight into the benefits that might be found or the admirable reasons why so many women actually defend this lifestyle.

After all, the women were often some of the first to protest "westernizing", which in some ways underminds the image of the overbearing male tyrant.

Blog of Interest

I've linked to Muslimah Media Watch on my sidebar already, but I wanted to bring some attention to this particular blog. I'm not sure how they found my site, but I appreciated their comments on my last entry.

To recipicocate I searched them out and started reading. I think you might find this blog of interest, too, my fellow classmates as so much of what we've read has focused on the role of women in Muslim society.

A Matter of Gender

For this assignment we were asked to compare the men and women travel writers. The first thing that comes to mind for me is that the men tend to focus more on the religion than the women. Not to say the women don't explore the religion or attempt to learn more about it, but it seems to me that the focus is different. It could be my imagination but it seems the women are a bit more open to different ideologies and less critical of Islam and Muslims in general.

Even in those instances where the male author proclaims a desire to leave behind his prejudices and open himself up to the experiences and ideas he might find abroad, it generally didn't take very long for male writer to turn critical. The only exception to this that I can think of off the top of my head would be Dallam. He seemed to be the only one who simply related his experience and left out any judgements he may have made during his time in Constantinople.

Another difference, with perhaps the exception of Gertrude Bell and Geraldine Brooks, is that the men's writings tend to have a lot more history incorporated into them. I don't remember Duff-Gordon or Montagu providing any kind of history lesson. They tended to focus a bit more on the here and now.

Of course, the most obvious difference between the genders is in relation to gender, although again I must clarify that there are exceptions even here. While most of the women writers tend to reveal or de-mystify Muslim women and the men tend to make gross assumptions, not every woman writer focused on the issue of women. In fact, I'd say two of the four that we've studied have opted to focus more on either day-to-day living or remained firmly rooted in the world of men. Geraldine Bell was at home among the men, something rather unusual considering all the gender rules found in Muslim society. Lucy Duff-Gordon focused more on her male associates than the women, mentioning them only in passing.

However, when the women chose to focus on the women - something the men really could not ever hope to do in the same manner - they really did provide an alternative view of the harem and the women who lived there. They provide a window into a world were society would never allow the male traveller to enter.

In many ways, though, I think the writers shared a great deal in common regardless of their gender. Each reported their experiences, opinions, and observations. They gave us a chance to look into a time and place otherwise unavailable to us. They touch on common subjects like culture and religion. The differences come in the lens through which they view these things.

Nine Parts. Cont.

This book is a curious mixture of history, opinion, and experience. I think perhaps this is one of the most "Orientalist" accounts we've read, worse in some ways than our friend Biddulph. I say worse because this author has access to more information than Biddulph could have imagined in his day. Knowledge is limited only by imagination and motivation in today's information age.

Of course, you could argue her experiences have shaped her prejudices and she has ample reason to so pointedly discuss the more negative aspects of Middle Eastern existence. She has worked for several years between these countries and cultures and, in doing so, has encountered numerous instances where her Western values have been challenged. Interestingly enough, unlike Montagu, Bell, or Duff-Gordon, Brooks seems unable to focus much beyond the negative. I've yet to identify anything she truly admires.

I'm beginning to suspect her feminism is getting in the way of deeper introspection and acceptance. Not that I condone the hardships or horrors visited upon Muslim women, but I can't imagine it's as bleak a situation for all Muslim women.

Nine Parts of Desire

There are a few notable things about our first piece of truly modern literature on the Middle East. I don't think it's a small thing that the author is a woman or that the focus of the book seems to be on the women of Islam. I also think it is interesting that this is the first book we've been requested to read in its entirety. It's hard not to wonder why this book deserves a more thorough examination, although I have my suspicions.

We've only read four chapters so far. The author introduces the reader to the modern Middle East by relating a story about her own experience as a modern Western woman travelling alone through Saudi Arabia. The tale leaves a rather sour impression. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it reinforces the Western view of the supressed Muslim woman. The most interesting thing about this little story is how she ends it: "I couldn't check myself into a Saudi hotel room in the 1990s because thirteen hundred years earlier a Meccan named Muhammad had trouble with his wives." (p. 3)

What a nice way to introduce the Prophet to a Western audience! (Yes, that is sarcasm.)

I know we're supposed to be determining whether or not our current author-de-jour is working under an Orientalist influence, so it's hard not to view Geraldine Brooks' book with a critical eye. Perhaps this need to identify the Orientalist attitudes in the writing has made me blind to the non-Orientalist portions of the writing, but I can find little in this book that doesn't seem to carry a condescending tone. She's clearly puzzled and disturbed by the status of Muslim women.

However, I do think her history lesson in Chapter Four was actually very good. I think I really started to grasp where the division in Shiite and Sunni Islam originated. Of course, this doesn't mean I can competently relate the complicated history of the Prophet, his wives, and his political opponents.

I'm very interested to see what the rest of this book holds. I'm really not sure where she's going with this, what her ultimate goal is other than to offer a glimpse into modern Islam and Muslim culture.

Bell as the Orientalist?

I'm withholding my opinion until I finish reading all five chapters. However, I will comment on my observations so far.

Based on the writing in the first two chapters of the book, I'm not comfortable calling Bell an Orientalist, and yet I'm also not comfortable saying she wasn't. There are certainly elements of Orientalism in her writing. There may be a passing comment dropped in the most casual manner that makes me question her overall attitude toward the people she championed.

On the other hand, its hard to reconcile someone who so adored the desert and its tribal flavor with the sour impression I have of Orientalism. Bell's knowledge of the area and its citizens could arguably negate her sometimes condescening observations. After all, most people do have something negative to say about somebody. Perhaps her momentary lapses are prompted by an individual reaction and not meant as comprehensive statements encompassing all "Orientals". After all, in the next breath she can gush over how much she's genuinely enjoying herself.

Although, I have to admit I wonder if her love of the desert and the sense of adventure/discovery outweighs her love of the people. The bulk of her writing does seem to focus on the visual or textile images. She describes the landscape, the appearance of people, and, of course, the ruins she finds along her travels. While I love her descriptive talent - for it is a talent as impressive as her political intuition (in my opinion, of course) - her writing lacks the personable touch of writers like Montague or even Duff-Gordon. The only person she seems to give a personality to is her travelling companion, Namrud, and that's only expressed through the stories he tells her. She never offers much in terms of what she thinks of him personally.

Her writing gives insights to her passion for the desert and her knowledge of the tribes. Although I may change my mind, I don't think her passion extends quite as much to the people as it does to the land on which they live. But I reserve the right to change my mind on this.

A List of Tribes

We were asked to keep a list of the different tribes Gertrude Bell mentions in her writings.

Here goes:

'Adwan
Abadeh
*Anazeh
Belka
Beni Sakhr
Da'ja
Druzes
*Ghassanid
*Ghawarny
Hassaniyyeh
Shammar
Sherarat
Sukkur

*These may or may not be tribes. Given the way in which Bell discusses them, I'm assuming they were (are), but only further reading or some proactive research will provide a clearer answer.

More on Said's Orientalism

The preface of the 25th anniversary edition made for some interesting reading. I got the distinct impression Said is more than a little disgusted with our current involvement in Iraq. He certainly doesn't try to soften his opinion about American foreign policies as they apply to the Middle East (aka "The Orient").

I am actually looking forward to discussion on the topic of Orientalism tonight. Although I've read both the preface and the first chapter, I must admit I'm still trying to sort through everything Said had to say on the matter. I almost need to re-read the first chapter just in order to clarify.

I'll probably update this post later tonight. We'll see.

Updated (8:48 PM)

I think I've got a better grasp on Orientalism. I also think the old definition, the one Said created in the 1970s, is no longer 100% applicable. That or I'm still confused. Here are some of my observations/impressions:

• I don't see the men depicted as effeminate. This is a stereotype I can not easily identify in the travel writings we have read so far this semester. Although, while I don't see it, I suppose the few sentences here and there about homosexual practices could arguably emasculate the Oriental man.
• The image of Oriental women as exotic nymphs has been mostly replaced with the image of a suppressed gender-group who are at the mercy of their tyrannical menfolk.
• The emerging stereotype of Muslim men over the last few years has shifted to that of a religous zealot, a terrorist bent on destroying "The West".

I think perhaps the real definition of Orientalism can be found in the Us vs. Them argument. This psychological conditioning can be perpetrated by the media, the government, and our schools.

I think I'll leave it at that for now. Night!

Letter XXXIX to Anne Thistlethwayte

Lady Montagu had many interesting letters to choose from for this particular assignment, which made my selection feel rather arbitrary. As I flipped through the correspondence I noticed one with a lot of highlighting and notes in the margin. Apparently I found a lot of things very interesting in this particular letter, so it seems logical to discuss it.

One of the first things I noticed about this particular letter was the grateful tone of Lady Montagu's opening. It definitely leaves the reader with the impression that she was perhaps a bit desperate for news of home. Considering the length of time she has been away from England, this makes perfect sense, as does her consternation with her other correspondents for not thinking she would appreciate a little dated gossip.

If these letters were constructed after the fact, this is one of the elements that makes them so engaging. Her tone conveys a frustration I find very real and very believable.

As the letter progresses she indulges in a bit of cultural gossip herself. Considering she admits she's pregnant, the content of her letter flows naturally. It is in this passage where she discusses marriage and children that she perhaps shows her first true distaste for something within the Turkish culture. This sentence may explain her viewpoint on the matter: "You won't know what to make of this speech, but in this country it is more despicable to be married and not fruitful than it is with us to be fruitful before marriage." (p. 107).

Then you read this line: "..they do not content themselves with using the natural means, but fly to all sort of quackeries to avoid the scandal of being past child bearing and often kill themselves by them." (p. 107) Is that actually censure I hear? It certainly sounds like it. If remember correctly she bring up this bizarre gender-based cultural expectation more than once and more than in one letter.

What makes this letter interesting to me isn't just the fact that she finally shows the less than ideal state of Turkish women, but that she realizes it and tries to redeem the culture and perhaps the perception of her reader by adding a last paragraph about things she does like, like the punishment of convicted liars whom she refers to as "triumphant criminals in our country, God knows." (p. 108)

I think this goes back to Ryan's earlier statement about her desire to create an idealized society for herself where she can pick and choose different laws and customs from her experiences. I also believe the later letters in this series supports that argument even further.

Women and Fashion

It’s hard not to consider the role fashion had in European society when reading Lady Montagu’s letters. She certainly takes great pains to describe the clothing, accessories, and hairstyles of her contemporaries in these foreign settings. So much so that I think some of the men in our class would probably rather poke their eyes out than read one more sentence about how someone’s dress was put together or how artfully these women arranged their hair.

While I’ll admit I find the descriptions tedious at times, I can completely buy into the fact that she may have truly spent the time and energy in describing them in the actual letters she sent to her sisters and the other women back in England. Fashion was very important to the aristocracy. It was a mark of prestige to be a trend-setter.

In the European world women of rank had little else to occupy them – they certainly didn’t have full-time jobs or rigorous studies to keep them busy. If they were educated it was in “various skills that contribute to the moral development and the "display" quality of a wife: music, drawing, singing, painting, and so on. So while men were learning the new sciences and philosophies, all that was offered to women in education was decorative ‘accomplishments.’” (Cited)

It’s also not likely these upper class women spent their time taking care of their homes. Most of the nobility would have servants to take care of the everyday mundane tasks like cleaning and laundering.

Although the age of Enlightenment would eventually lead these women into new arenas of education and break down some of the gender barriers so prevalent in the day, this didn’t happen until near the end of the 18th century. For more info on women’s rights and how the Enlightenment started them down the path to equality, visit this website and scroll down to ORIGINS. It’s not a rosy picture, but at least the concept was tossed around.

During Lady Montagu’s letter writing days it would have been perfectly reasonable to expect her sisters and the other ladies would want to hear about the continental fashions. It would have been gender appropriate content, which likely helps explain why her letters to Pope contain very little mention of such frivolities.

Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, while trying to research the Age of Enlightenment and the role of women during this period, I found a very interesting article regarding the attitude toward sex during this period in time. While it doesn’t mention that the women were reading these publications, it does perhaps offer some insight into Lady Montagu’s fascination with the “exotic” sexual practices in each country.

True letters or the art of epistle writing?

While I enjoyed reading the first series of letters assigned for this week, I must admit I wasn't as fully engaged with the writer as I had expected to be. Of course, upon reflection, this might have been due to my state of mind and not necessarily the fault of Lady Wortley Montagu. It was well after my bedtime when I started reading her letters.

However, I'm feeling a bit more partial to her as the reading continues. I think this is in part due to the background info discussed in class on Monday evening. Knowing that she, as one of England's privileged elite, was scarred by the smallpox gives insight into her character and her writings. She becomes a sympathetic character in my mind's eye. As a woman, I can't imagine the daily insecurities she must have lived with every day. How horrible! Yet, she does not seem to use these imperfections and the social stigma they must carry as an excuse to be mean, petty, or generally disagreeable.

So, suddenly she is a person and not just a name on a byline.

And that brings me to her letters. I think it makes a huge difference in knowing that these were not the actual letters gathered from around England, but her imitation of correspondence she sent during her travels. I found this knowledge somewhat changed my perspective on her letters. Suddenly they weren't quite so...trustworthy. They seemed suddenly more a work of literary art than casual letters sent to friends and family. Given the information in the letters and the lack of any true gossip about England, I suspect Lady Montagu's recrafted letters would only resemble the missives she actually sent while abroad.

If this is true, is it a bad thing? I don't think so. Epistle writing is very engaging. It feels very personable and warm. Intimate.

However, I will be paying more attention to the kind of information she does and doesn't put into her writings. I'm not sure what I hope to discover by doing this, but I know I won't be able to help myself.

Said's Theory on Orientalism & the Writings of Thomas Dallam

First, I had to refresh myself on what exactly was Said's theory on Orientalism. If I understand it correctly, Said's theory is that Western writers have misrepresented the Middle East and created a romanticized idea of "the Orient", which completely dismisses the variety of lifestyles, customs and beliefs found throughout this vast territory.

At first I must admit I'm wasn't sure how a theory about scholarly work could be applied to travel writing, especially if you consider the writings to be autobiographical in nature and not scholarly. However, after a little reflection, I could see his point to a certain extent. If I think of writer's like Biddulph, I can see how his prejudices would support Said's theory.

However, there are other instances where I would completely disagree. Consider Thomas Dallam. His writing did not portray a backward, wicked society. He did not set out to belittle the Sultan or the other Muslims. His diary excerpts were very accepting of the culture he found hismelf in. His portrayal of the Muslims he came into contact with are very flattering, actually. He made sure to mention that he was treated with courtsey and kindness at every turn.

Of course, Dallam wasn't in the Sultan's court pursuing religious ends or enduring the hardships of slavery. He was treated to a very privledged view of the Ottoman Empire. He was, in fact, an honored guest. Although he lacked any formal title or diplomatic immunity, he had been sent with a miraculous gift for the Sultan from Queen Elizabeth.

Not to mention he was also a much sought after commodity: a skilled trademan.

I would have to argue that Said's Orientalism may hold some kernal of truth in it, but it is not a hard and fast rule you can blindly apply to every Western writer discussing the Middle East. I think its a dangerous generalization that could be inappropriately applied.

What?

On my Google homepage I have a module for the Drudge Report. News headlines pop up in this little window throughout the day. Here's one that happened to catch my eye today:

Congressman: There are 'too many mosques in this country'...

Now tell me you don't want to go read this latest bit of religous discrimination taking place in our government. And here I thought perhaps the MTimes article had been a farce, a cheap ploy to gain readership.

I stand corrected. Apparently, people really are this intolerant.

A Turk in England

Well, wasn't that a dramatic change of pace? Personally, I found it refreshing. I think the thing I liked the most was that the story was told with a close, intimate first person perspective. That may sound strange when everything we've read so far has been told in first person narrative, but there's a distinct difference in the style of Ishmael's account and those of the other writers we've read.

Ishmael's story is immediate. It's about particular instances, a catalogue of experiences instead of impressions. The tone is more personal and personable than anything we've read thus far. In fact, I'd say it almost read like a piece of modern fiction, so immediate was the tone and impressions of his story. Of course, the typeface itself made it impossible to forget the story had been told during a time when the printing press apparently only came with one "s". How fun! It took a few paragraphs to become accustomed to the bizarre typography.

As for the poor man's experiences..what can I say? At times I wondered if it were possible that all these misfortunes had truly befallen our little friend. I've heard of bad luck, but his was tragic. Beatings, robberies and unjust imprisonment seemed to be a recurring theme in his life. If those weren't bad enough, he also seems destined to lose people he loves. First he lost his native family when he was enslaved. Then, over the course of the next few decades, he loses almost of all his children.

Damn!

I wonder how many fictional stories his sad tale have spawned. I can easily see it influencing generations.

Joseph Pitt

I must admit I thought I'd never make it through the entire thing. I forced myself to read for hours on end Sunday evening and still I didn't finish. So today on lunch I finished the last ten pages or so. Then, because I am a nerd, I re-read the Blackboard announcement that said to focus on three of the chapters. Three. And I read the entire thing!

Of course, I have no one to blame but myself. If I would have read the instructions with a little more attention to detail, I would have been done reading within a few hours instead of a few days. Geesh.

I don't think the extra reading hurt any, though. I think it actually might have helped me develop a better feel for the writing as a whole. That could just be a fanciful delusion I'm selling myself, though.

This book had a lot of details in it. Too many to remember, actually. I know my highlighter was certainly working overtime. Of course, I tend to highlight things that snag my interest and not necessarily things that are 100% relevant to the potential discuss that may arise. After all, I'm sure no one else made funny little notations in the magin about the development of what sounds suspiciously like Nair. Not to mention the special attention I drew to the architecture of Algier. Neither of those two things really provided any insight into the writing or the author, but I found them interesting.

We talked quite a bit about Joseph Pitt and his writing in class today. Personally, I find him intriguing. There were so many contradictions in his work. Trying to read between the lines with him was more difficult than I had anticipated. Then again, I had expected his account to focus on the things that happened to him. I had envisioned a journey through the trials and tribulations of slavery. I don't know that he fulfilled that expectation, at least not in the way I expected.

I think that's what I find so fascinating about this book. Not that it was a page turner, because it wasn't, but that it seemed both informative and open, and yet at the same time it also seemed hesitant and defensive. The contrasts were subtle at times and jarring at others. Yet, I never felt him to be an untrustworthy narrator, just a conflicted one.

I try imagine what it must have been like for him during the construction of this piece of literature: a man newly returned from sixteen years of slavery in a foreign country. He must have been anxious to fit back into the old life. Yet, it is easy to imagine that his friends and family, while rejoicing to have him home, may also have been looking for the tell-tale signs of cultural assimilation. He might have come home to his family and his country, but how could he be other than a changed man?

Throughout the reading of this text I really felt like it was a hundred page (or more) plea to his fellow countrymen to accept him, to understand him. Yet, even so, he didn't totally sell out. He owned up to his "sins" even while proclaiming his undying devotion to his Christain upbringing. Something I'm not so sure he truly felt at all times during his captivity. But I could be wrong.

Travel Plans

I wish I were making travel plans that include airplane tickets and a hotel. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be leaving Michigan any time in the near future. Between work, family obligations, and school, who has the time to go travelling? Not me.

Lack of funds might also have something to do with it, too, but that's a completely different discussion.

In all honesty, most of my travelling is done through reading. Although I'm not an English major (I know! The surprise!), I am an avid reader. I have visited many wondrous and fantastic places without needing a passport or a series of shots to stave off things like malaria and dysentery. From the safety of my home I can set sail on a ship bound for the Cayman Islands, or I can walk onto a train platform and buy that ticket to Chicago. A little suspension of reality and disbelief can take me even further. I can jump between solar systems or visit a magical world where dragons fly and unicorns step through dense forests.

Fiction has been my escape for more years than I care to admit. It became so much a part of me that I soon found myself creating my own little imaginary worlds and populating it with people I loved and despised.

As I've matured both in reality and in terms of my writing, I've discovered that my imagination needs to be fed. I'm not talking about inspiration. This is not about those instances when an overheard phrase or partial conversation can trigger an entire scene or provide the theme for your next big project. The kind of nourishment I'm referring to is found in the very real world in which we live. It's experience. It's tangible.

I signed up for this class because, to borrow a cliché, I knew it would broaden my horizons. I don’t expect to visit the Middle East any time in the near future. Heck, I don’t even know if I’ll be visiting it the distant future. Of all the places I want to go, the “Middle East” as I think of it, doesn’t make the list. I think one of the main reasons would have to be because of the constant threat of danger that seems to linger there. I’m all for travelling, but only if my safety is pretty much a given.

So while I may never walk in Mecca, Medina, or Jerusalem, I can visit these places the only way I know how: the Internet. I’m kidding! Sort of. The truth is the Internet is a great resource for researching almost anything. Yet, it doesn’t always turn up the results you most desire. Searches can be thwarted by pages and pages of nonsense, misrepresentation, or untruths.

I think this is one of the reasons why I thought travel writing would be great. First-hand accounts may carry misrepresentations, untruths, and nonsense, but unless the narrator is a complete fraud, the information contained in their stories is real. Their observations may be skewed by any number of things (education, religion, exposure, biases, prejudices..) but these writings aren’t fictional. They are someone’s truth. They are someone’s insights and explanations.

I will never be able to experience 16th or 17th century life in Algeria or Turkey. I can’t climb into a time machine and set the dial to whatever year suits my fancy, but I can read an accounting of what life was like for this man or that woman. I can look through their eyes and see a world so unlike my own.

Already I've collected quite a variety of images. Here are some of my favorites:

From Joseph Pitts I discovered the mateeja. This plain is transformed into a marketplace several times a week. I imagine the makeshift markets between the farmhouses. I don't know exactly what this would look like or smell like or sound like, but I have an image.

Later in his work he describes a military encampment where "the bey's tent is pitched in the middle of the camp, and all the tents are pitched so close together that an horse cannot pass, and this is so ordered that there may be but one entrance into the camp, which is directly toward the door of the bey's tent". (p. 237) Can you see that? What it must look like? Now try to imagine the sound of soldiers going about their business, of talk and prayer drifting through the night air. It seems a strange custom, dangerous even, but yet it must have worked. Figuring out why is the challenge.

Even their most common punishment is fascinatingly bizarre. I can't imagine being beaten on the soles of your feet. Ouch!

Even Biddulph, that holier-than-thou preacher, managed to incorporate some interesting comments on the culture of the area he visited. There's a paragraph were he discusses the marriage practices of the Sultan's sisters. Even if this is complete bunk, which it probably is considering the source, I still found it interesting. Apparently these women are told " 'Daughter, or sister, I give thee this man to be they slave and bedfellow; and if he is not loving, dutiful, and obedient unto thee, here I give thee a canzhare (that is, a dagger) to cut off his head.' And always after, those daughter or sisters of the king wear a broad and sharp dagger." (p. 95) How funny!

So in answer to the question, what are my travel plans this semester? I’m going to keep reading. I’m going to visit the times and places our narrators take us and I’m going to try to make the most of it. I’m going to keep notes on interesting cultural differences and customs. I’m going to try to read between the lines and figure out the character behind the byline. In short, I’m going to feed my muse.

Any maybe learn a little something along the way!

That's a Lot of Paper

I printed off next week's reading assignments...yikes! That's a lot of paper! I couldn't even use a regular stapler to hold them together. Thank goodness my office has a heavy duty stapler able to punch through inches of paper at a time.

Blount's Opinions and Experiences

Well, first Ihave to say more than 95% of Blount's writing would have to be considered opinion. The few instances when he actually describes his experience in Turkey are few and far between. Mostly the man just rambled on about his opinions, some of which seemed very tainted by prejudice.

Strangely, I didn't expect this. His little introduction made me think "here's a guy who really wants to learn". I thought he would be one of those types who don't like to be told what they should think, but is determined to come to his own opinions based on personal experience. I thought the fellow had an open mind. That impression didn't last very long.

I think what surprised me the most was not a prejudice against the Turks, but against the Jews. He seemed very tolerant in many ways of the Turks and even seemed quite fond of them in some places. Not that he didn't have plenty of negative things to say about their military, religion, and culture. He did. Yet, the Jews seemed to get under his skin in a completely different way.

During his discussion of the Jews, his language became less forgiving. He used words like foolish, shallow, liars and cheaters. He continually challenged their intelligence and intregity. I would have to say these opinions were influenced by prior prejudices.

Oh, before I sign off, I thought I would list all the words I failed to recognize in his writings:

1. janissaries
2. galcots
3. timariots
4. bastinadoed
5. santones

I'm going to have to do some research to figure out what those words mean or who they refer to. Okay...I'm outta here.

Questions Answered and Insight Given

So, remember my earlier questions about possible copyright infringements and, even more importantly, the effect of the selective editor? Yeah. Those were actually addressed in class without me bringing them up.

Although my earlier copyright infringement question was about the editor's determination to publish against the traveller's will, I guess there was more of an issue with improper "borrowing" and lack of citation going on here. I guess much of what Biddulph put into his writings couldn't be considered "common knowledge" and had actually been borrowed from other sources. Interesting little side note, I thought.

The real kicker is the suspicion that there was no mysterious third party publishing these writings against Biddulph's will, but that Biddulph himself was putting forth his writings. I find that particularly amusing. The more I learn about this guy the less I think of him. Not that he had very far to fall. His attitude and prejudices got under my skin almost immediately. Maybe that's because I don't like to be preached at and his writing felt very preachy.

I thought his later indiscretions with the "strumpet" were a fitting ending to his tale. The hypocrite.

But enough about Biddulph. I really think I would enjoy reading the rest of Dallum's diary. Oh, it might drive me batty to have to wade through the 16th century prose, but the content would be well worth it I think.

Although, in all honesty, for my own selfish purposes I think I could even find value in writings like those of Biddulph. It's like looking into someone's head, seeing their inner most thoughts and values displayed for your voyeuristic pleasure. As a wannabe writer I find all of this fodder for the imagination. Imagine what a character Biddulph would make in fiction. Oh, the conflict that man could cause! Dallum, on the other hand, would make a likable side-kick (I'm not sure he's hero material..but one never knows until one tries to make a hero of a mere man).

I also find the foreign settings to be of great interest, especially since I tend to write Science Fiction and Fantasy. I'm already filing some customs away for later review. Of course, if I hope to remember them, I really should put them into my OneNote writing notebook. (I love OneNote. It's amazing. I really don't know why more writers don't take full advantage of it...)

I guess that's really all I have for tonight. The last thing that comes to mind is to say "Thanks!" to the other students who have opted for blogging their journals. So far I only have one web address and I've put it in my sidebar.

Not Quite as Enjoyable

Okay, I really didn't care all that much for Chapter 2 in Armstrong's book. (I know...I should have finished reading Chapter Two sometime last week. I know.)

I've got to be honest. I did a lot of skimming through Chapter Two. The political strife just didn't interest me as much as learning about the foundations of Islam had in Chapter One. Maybe it's because the names were so foreign, but I couldn't keep anything straight. I felt slightly overwhelmed.

The Preacher's Journeys

I'm slowly working my way through tomorrow's assigned readings. I forgot to print off one of the E-Reserve documents, though, so I'll have to read that at lunch tomorrow.

Today's final travel writing example was William Biddulph's The Travels of a Certain Englishman. It was about as different from Dallam's diary excerpts as you could get. It seemed very...judgemental and, at times, harsh. So even though the writing was much improved over Dallam's (yay for proper spelling!), I must admit I preferred Dallam's travel writing over Biddulph's.

I wonder, though, if it's the fault of the selections collected by the gentleman who pushed to have these letter excerpts published. Did he pick out only those items of of Biddulph's letters that would reinforce his particular world-view and prejudices? I wonder if the writings would appear more balanced if we actually had the opportunity to read the letters in their entirety?

Back to that whole publishing against the author's will thing. Did I read that right? Were these excerpts truly published against Biddulph's wishes? This must have been before copyright issues came into existence. Although, I wonder what today's copyright laws would make of that situation!

Back to the travel writing...

I have to say I highlighted a lot of derogatory remarks the author made about not only the Turks and their contemporaries, but also about other Christian sects. It was clear he thought himself well above those he met on his travels. Very few groups earned a respectful mention. Makes you wonder what kind of missionary he was.

One last thought on his writings: they were dry. Very factual and not very flavorful. They read more like a history lesson than personal correspondence.

Yikes!

Well, I made it through Thomas Dallam's diary excerpts. Ouch. Sixteenth century writing skills leave something to be desired...the spelling about killed me. Although, once I became accustomed to it, Dallam's experiences in Constantinople were quite intriguing.

I love how he took the time to put some description into his diary. His writing, despite its less than reader-friendly authenticity, was very engaging. I think my favorite passage of description dealt with the concubines he spied on through the grate in the wall. I even started to translate it into modern language.

Of course, these descriptions are important to me not only because they make the reading all that more enjoyable, but because I write and as a writer, I find such passages inspiring. They definitely get the muse motivated.

Something else I picked up on was how intent the "grand seyinor" was to keep Dallam around. I imagine the determination was based on the fear that if the organ-maker left there would be no one capable of maintaining the mechanical contraption. It was in the man's best interest to keep Dallam happy and content, to show him the best of this culture.

I must admit I didn't think the harem scene was by happenstance. I thought he was being set up, that the forbidden glimpse would lead to blackmail. This suspicion came into sharper focus when he was pretty much bullied off the ship and back onto dry land.

The only thing I really didn't catch - and this is probably more my failing than Dallam's - is how he finally managed to escape Constantinople. I know he went home on a ship bound for England, but the details were sketchy. I guess you can't really critique the author though when you consider he was writing in a diary of all things. He likely never anticipated his writing would end up being the subject of discussion in a 21st century classroom.

Learning about Islam

Since it's technically still the first week of class, we really haven't had a chance to delve into the travel writing yet. We're mainly focusing on Islam and Muslim culture. In my opinion, Karen Armstrong's Islam: A Short History is by far the better of the two assigned readings we've had so far. The author's presentation is very easy to read and seems to be free of any subjective commentary.

Some of the more interesting things I've learned so far*:

• The traditional role of women in Islam is markedly different than the stereotypes would have you believe. They were granted "rights of inheritance and divorce centuries before Western women were accorded such status". Not to mention that "the Quran makes men and women partners before God, with identical duties and responsibilities."


• The historical and cultural reasons behind vieling and polygamy. Although based on recent in-class discussion, I wonder how accurate the book is on this subject. I didn't get the impression that our resident Muslims agreed with Armstrong's presentation on this subject matter. More on that later, maybe.


• That Muhammad had worked with the Jews and urged other Muslims to treat the "People of the Book" with respect. Considering today's religious intolerance on all fronts this was a very progressive attitude.

I must admit when I first started reading the book and the chapter on "Islam and Change" out of Esposito's book I felt a little overwhelmed by the unfamiliar terminology. My knowledge prior to these reading experiences were limited to the Quran, Islam, Muslim, and mosque. I know I should be embarrassed to admit such a thing in so public a manner, but I think I think I'm feeling more ashamed than embarrassed. How well educated can I consider myself when I know so little about the world's second largest religion?

So I've started a small self-translated dictionary. I wonder if I have them right, though. Here's my interpretation of some commonly used words. Let me know if I'm wrong!

Sharia - God's law in revelation
Ulama - Islamic religious leadership (is this across all sects, though?)
imam = community
purdah = seclusion
chador = veil
caliphate = reign of a specific Islamic leader
sunna = time-honored tribal tradition of wisdom & practice

How'd I do? These interpretations were based not on Google searches or Wikipedia research, but on the contextual reading of Armstrong's and Esposito's books. I was too lazy to actually get off my behind to research them, so I wouldn't be surprised if I'm wrong on more than one account.

More later!

*All quotations have been taken from Armstrong's book. Mainly from Chapter 1.

First Post

Well, this is my first post on my "English Travellers in the Middle East" journal. Since there is a remote possibility that someone other than my instructor may read this, I feel the need for a few disclaimers.

1. I have very little knowledge about the Middle East.
2. Other than the glaringly obvious, I am not up on current events.
3. I know next to nothing about Islam or Muslims.

I am willing to admit I am hopelessly clueless about the subject of this course, which is in part why I signed up for this class. How better to break through stereotypes and ignorance than in an academic setting where questions are expected and not ridiculed. Well, not too much anyhow.

Over the next 15 weeks or so I will be posting reactions to class discussions and assigned readings. Don't expect profound insights. I'll be happy coming away with a fundamental undertanding of a world so alien (or is it?) from my own.

You may also notice that there are some links in my sidebar regarding Islams & Muslims. I'm not advocating any of them. I cannot comment on their accuracy or lack thereof. I simply think that it's interesting to see what practitioners of the faith are saying in the informal world of blogging.

Please feel free to comment!