On The Exoticism In Pierre Loti's Works

Exoticism, which is in writers and readers'good graces all through the ages, express people's desire to get away from the spiritual shackles of the civilization and search for the extraordinary natural and social illusion. Pierre Loti (1850-1923) is a representative figure of the romantic writers in France of the19th century. Loti is well-known for the exoticism in which he is expert in his works. Most of his novels bare the imprint of autobiography with distinguished features in describing exotic love and exoticism. Loti's time and grown-up background shape his sentimentality and susceptibility and extraordinary creative style. Loti's works consist unique Foreign feelings and are full of yearn for the love which has passed away and old civilization, and thinking of death and making the sympathy and sigh to the weak life. He shows the foreign sights all over the world with plan words and impressionist style, especially oceans of various regions, which gives deep impressions. Loti shapes various foreign images to the readers, especially the Chinese and Japanese images of the late period of Qing dynasty. He observes China in the late period of Qing dynasty from the double perspectives of colonial military officers and intellectuals, and shapes double Chinese images, which is valuable in researching the old china of the late period of Qing dynasty from the western perspective in the academic sense. He vividly depicts reserved, mean and artificial characters of Japanese and shapes Japanese images of the western perspective. Loti has related relation with oriental females. He has lots of oriental lovers in his life, and his works mainly describe himself and his oriental lovers. Most of the oriental lovers in his works are charming and pure but stupid and less of independent personality and dignity. Loti often shows his sense of superiority in culture as a western colonialist and his disdain to the oriental females. The exoticism in Loti's works is unique, compared with Chateaubriand, Hugo and Verne in theme, sight description, thought on the life and so on.