The Epitome Of Western Perceptions Of China--Interpretation Of The Farther Adventure Of Robinson Crusoe From The Perspective Of Orientalism

This thesis is concerned with the exploration of the image of China in Western culture and thought. It examines Western perceptions of China through a careful reading and interpretation of the novel The Farther Adventure of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. The text is read and discussed within the theoretical framework of Orientalism. By analyzing the image of China constructed in the novel from the perspective of Orientalism, this thesis explores the nature of such a construction as an Other. After analysis, the paper concludes that the image of China in the eyes of Robinson Crusoe is an epitome of the early Western perceptions of China, which foreshadows the later formation of Orientalism in the literary field. Some of today's Western stereotypic visions of China are accumulated and shaped in the course of history. They are part of the Western cultural tradition that has been precipitated for decades, and have deep roots in the Western ideology and history. With China's increasing participation into the equal dialogue and cooperation with the Western world, there will be a renewal of the Western image of China built upon and impaired by the Orientalist knowledge accumulated in the previous centuries. The world will see a real China that is vigorous and progressing.Roughly beginning in the late 1970s, Post-colonial Studies has gained prominence in the last 30 years. This thesis selects The Farther Adventure of Robinson Crusoe, a novel that has so far received little critical attention in the Post-colonial critical field of both the Eastern and Western academia, and tries to interpret it from the perspective of Orientalism. Such an interpretation serves as a humble but valuable contribution to fill in one of the spaces left untouched in the present Postcolonial Studies.