East-West Encounters: Politics and Fictions of Orientalism

We will explore the myth of the East that develops in Europe during the Enlightenment in the wake of the extremely popular and influential translations of The Thousand and One Nights (Alf Layla wa Layla) in the early eighteenth century. We will focus on narratives of the encounter between East and West, on the discovery and construction of the Oriental “Other,” and on its representation in the literary and visual culture of the Enlightenment. Particular attention will be paid to the figure of Shahrazad and the theme of the harem. We will study some modern versions of the Arabian Nights.