Today, we focused on William Jones’s relationship with the Orient as he praises the poetry and art that comes from this area of the world. Throughout his Essays: “On the poetry of Eastern nations.” and “On the arts, commonly called imitative.,” Jones shows his passion for researching the East. I was conflicted by his account because in one moment he is able to show a level of respect for the East that was relatively unusual for the time period he was writing. While also showing a nonchalant infantilization of the Eastern poets he writes of. Jones keenly focuses on the beauty of Eastern poets and how the language is essential to detailing this beauty because of its musicality. He compares this poetry to that of the Greeks, stating that the two are completely on par with one another. With all of his praise and awe, he shows a nuanced view of the East that is so rarely showcased by his contemporaries and predecessors.
However, similarly, he is still shown to fall into the trap of “othering” the artist he writes of. He describes the differences in appearance the Arabs have: “in some provinces they dark complexions, harsh features; in others they are exquisitely fair, and well-made…” (81). In one sentence, to our modern eyes, Jones has completely detracted from the points he had previously made about the elegance of Eastern poetry and language. To us, his actions are worthy of complete revulsion because of his ability to boil a community down to “harsh” versus “well-made,” dark skin versus light. As readers in the present looking on his perspectives in the past, we have to quantify and qualify his opinions as an essay in history not as we would read a current New York Times article.
Romanticism Blog 