British Orientalism and Classical Arabic Literature: A Study in Reception, According to Jauss's Theory

The primary aim of this thesis is to develop an aesthetic approach for the study of the British Orientalist discourse in relation to Arabic classical literature. The thesis explores three literary eras; Pre colonialism, colonialism, and Post colonialism, adopting Hans Robert Jauss’s theorisation of ‘literary history’ as a theoretical framework. The theoretical framework of the thesis is, also, informed by Edward Said’s seminal contributions to the subject, though without necessarily endorsing all his assumptions and conclusions.
The thesis is divided into six chapters. In Chapter 1, Juass’s assumption in its relation to literary history is explored, displaying how it can be a valuable framework to study the history of the British Orientalist discourse. Chapter 2 is designed to examine Edward Said’s understanding of Orientalism, by exploring his supporters-opponents’ views. The last three Chapters are organized to investigate the contributions made by the British Orientalists and critique of the impact these contributions had on our understanding of Arabic literature. The thesis is concluded by chapter six, which summarizes the important findings of the work.
The key finding of the study is that although there are disparate responses in dealing with classical Arabic literature, most British scholars belong to the same pure academic school of knowledge. This knowledge has accumulated systematically over a long period of research and it is still being built upon. What is most remarkable about this academic knowledge is that it was produced without political involvement.