Universal View of Women in Beckford’s Vathek in Relation to Feminist and Post-Colonial Theories

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Cairo University Universal View of Women in Beckford’s Vathek In relation to Feminist and Post-Colonial Theories Rana Khaled Hamdy Afify Professor Mona Mo’nes Comparative Prose, MA Program 07 April 2014 Vathek is a Romantic Gothic novel written by William Beckford in 1782. It was originally written in French then was translated to English by Beckford’s translator and collaborator, the Reverend Samuel Henley. It was published without Beckford’s authorization in 1786. In his novel, Beckford is deeply affected by The Arabian Nights, a serious of Gothic tales based in the East, which was translated into French and English at the time. Vathek was not supposed to be published on its own. It was supposed to be published along other Gothic tales of its kind, which were called Episodes. Due to the scandalous life that Beckford led, he was unable to publish the whole series as he planned together and the Episodes were not discovered until the 1900s. (Jack). Beckford’s Vathek mixes reality along with fiction. It is supposed to be based in the time of Caliph Al-Wathek the son of Al-Motasem. The real Caliph was known for his love for food, women, sciences, music and poetry, just as Vathek is. The real Caliph shares many traits with Vathek, which gives the novel some sort of credibility even though it is a fiction. The character of Vathek is also said to present Beckford himself and his life as some of the descriptions deployed in the novel are thought to be taken from his Fonthill Abbey. (Khrisat). Vathek, for being an eccentric Gothic novel, holds a representation of women through the characters Nouronihar, Carathis, and Carathis’s Negroes. The novel does not only represent female figures along with Gothic elements, but also it displays a feminine representation of male characters like Gulchenrouz as well as most of the Muslim characters. This study is going to
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