CLARA: WEEK 1

4) How might Herge’s The Blue Lotus address or relate to the issue of what Said (1977) terms ‘orientalism’?

Herge’s The Blue Lotus, relates to Said’s term of ‘orientalism’ through its visual emphasis and cultural references on the Eastern culture. Everything from the images and clichés in that particular chapter of the series are based on historical Western stereotypes of Chinese culture. These things, such as Tintin’s adventure through a crowded non-Western setting, mountainous landscape and machete wielding characters are associated only with Western perception of Eastern culture. According to Said (1977) these are images and narratives that can be deemed as a “European representation of the Orient” and setting the concept of “the other”. Therefore, both visual and narrative aspects associated with orientalism are definitely evident in Herge’s The Blue Lotus.

REF LIST

Said, E. (1977) Orientalism. In Ashcroft, B. Griffiths, G. & Tiffin, H. (Ed.), The Postcolonial
Studies Reader (pp.87-91). London: Routledge.