Orientalism in transit : orientalist discourse and post-colonial theory in literary representation of Eastern Europe in Olivia Manning's The Balkan trilogy and The Levant trilogy

This thesis 'Orientalism in Transit' examines the literary-cultural representation of Eastern Europe within the discourse of Orientalism as pioneered by Edward Said and, subsequently, by other post-colonial theorists. It, thus, aims to push the boundaries of postcolonial theory beyond its conventional literary-critical landscape. The thesis investigates the complexity and the ambivalence of the place of Eastern Europe in some literary-cultural texts, with particular attention to The Balkan Trilogy and The Levant Trilogy. Eastern Europe emerges as a paratext, a place that is represented paradoxically as in and out of Europe. The thesis shows how Eastern Europe is subjected to a process of othering. This process, I argue, is not completely dissimilar to the Orientalising of the Saidian Orient. Ideas and concepts of otherness, gender and gendered identities, hybridity, and language are key to my analysis.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo