02 Thursday Feb 17

Olivia Colville's notes for Thurs. February 17

Today in class we began discussing the novel She, by H. Rider Haggard. First we compared the key physical, intellectual, social, and psychological characteristics of the novel’s three main characters: Leo Vincey, Ludwig Horace Holly, and Job. The class identified Horace with words such as “Beast,” “Cain,” “ugly,” “direct,” and “rational.” In contrast, Leo was defined with words like “Beauty,” “blond,” “bright,” “charming,” and “adventurous.” Finally, the class classified the servant, Job, as “round faced,” “plain,” “caretaker,” “servant,” and “unremarkable.” We also discussed the relationship between Horace and Leo, and identified it most with an uncle/nephew type of relationship. However, it was pointed out in class that the father/ son relationship can be seen on page 28 of the text.

Later on in class we worked in groups to view this work specifically from an Orientalist interpretation. My group identified Orientalism in the scene where Horace and Leo open the mysterious casket, and also in the scene where they are on the ship, expecting a very stereotyped trip. Additionally, my group spoke about how even in mystical and strange situations, the main characters always seem knowledgeable about how to handle things. When the class came back together, we discussed other examples of Orientalism, namely, Mohammad being referred to as “The Arab” (pg. 60), and Job being explicitly suspicious of blacks (pg. 54). Finally, we discussed the Kallikrates/Vincey family tree.

At the end of class, the Post-Colonial group presented its project on Anna and the King. They talked specifically about Edward Said’s Orientalism and Homi K. Bhabha’s hybridity.