A Critique Of Orientalist Conventions

As one of the outstanding writers in Victorian age, George Eliot and her works have always been the focus of the critics ever since her age. Till now, many themes of her works have been explored, such as her philosophical thoughts, her detailed description of characters' psychology, her concern with morality, religion and social politics, and so on. However, there are still certain fields which have been seldom reached, among which lies the topic of the Gypsies. With the flourish of Postcolonialism, Eliot's Gypsy figures began to gain the favor of some postcolonial critics in 1990s. Generally speaking, most of these researches, both domestic and abroad, are inclined to put their emphasis on the relationship between gender and race, and the Gypsy topic only serves as the auxiliary tool to explore Eliot's ideas on the female status and identity. However, they ignore the possibility that such topic could also be the focus.Therefore, this thesis would focus on Eliot's inimitable way of reconstructing the images of the Gypsies and their relationship with the White in her works The Mill on the Floss and The Spanish Gypsy. This thesis attempts to explore the image and fate of Gypsy figures in Eliot's works with the context against prevalent Gypsy fantasies in the Victorian age, and then demonstrates that Eliot innovatively reconstructs the Gypsy images and their relations with the White, and this innovative reconstruction could be viewed as a critique of Orientalist conventions.Besides introduction and conclusion, this thesis consists of four chapters.This thesis starts with an introduction that reviews the researches on Eliot in the West and in China, and the existing problems in the study.Chapter One offers a brief discussion of Said's Orientalism.Chapter Two begins with a brief summary of the history of the Gypsies in England, and then gives a detailed analysis of the Gypsy fantasies in history, especially in the Victorian age. In fact, these Gypsy fantasies are the distorted presentation of Gypsies, a kind of Orientalist conventions held by the White to assert their superiority and dominance. The Gypsies have been constructed either as noble savages or as sinister cannibals. Both stereotypes, however, are considered backward and inferior, needing to be governed and instructed by the White.Chapter Three focuses on Eliot's innovative strategies of reconstructing the images of Gypsies and their relationship with the White. A detailed analysis of the image of Gypsy figures in Eliot's works with the context of Gypsy fantasies prevalent in the Victorian age leads to the finding that Gypsy figures in Eliot's work are all free from stereotypical images of Gypsies, having their own distinct features. Meanwhile the promising ending of The Spanish Gypsy for Gypsies and Maggie's failure to be a Gypsy Queen challenge the conventional views on Gypsy status that they are inferior to the White and therefore should be dominated and instructed by them. Though poor and uncivilized, the Gypsies are equal to the White and have their rights to pursue freedom.And Chapter Four further explores the key reasons and aim of this innovative reconstruction. Eliot's religion of humanity makes her hold the egalitarian opinions towards other races and oppose the racial prejudices held by the Englishmen. Meanwhile, owing to her knowledge of Gypsies, her works are able to reach the real life of Gypsies. Her innovative reconstruction of Gypsy images and their relationship with the White is a critique of Orientalist conventions.This thesis concludes by a summary of the whole thesis.