Suwanban, Rapeeporn Pauline (2025) Popular Romance and Orientalist fantasy : 1721-1930. PhD thesis, Birkbeck, University of London.
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Abstract
This thesis further uncovers the lineage of the popular romance genre by examining two recurring themes: sexual danger and Orientalism. I propose that a pervading character is integral to the development of the genre – the ‘Oriental beast’ – a racialised version of the hero from the fairy tale ‘Beauty and the Beast’. With a comparative approach, I explore the reappearance of this figure from early eighteenth-century novellas to twentieth-century visual culture. I begin with the amatory fiction of Eliza Haywood and Penelope Aubin (1720-30), the Gothic novel Zofloya by Charlotte Dacre (1806), moving to The Veil by E. S. Drower (1909), The Sheik by E. M. Hull (1919), and ending with an analysis of The Sheik film (1921) and other mediums it had inspired, such as women’s magazines. My conclusion confirms the rich, intricate history of romance, its problematic legacy of racism and the Oriental beast’s mysterious connection with authenticity.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Copyright Holders: | The copyright of this thesis rests with the author, who asserts his/her right to be known as such according to the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. No dealing with the thesis contrary to the copyright or moral rights of the author is permitted. |
| Depositing User: | Acquisitions And Metadata |
| Date Deposited: | 04 Jul 2025 14:30 |
| Last Modified: | 13 Sep 2025 04:31 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/55895 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.18743/PUB.00055895 |
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