American Orientalism and the Representation of Algeria in Bowles’ The Sheltering Sky (1949).

Abstract

In the light of Orientalism, the present work investigates the representation of Algeria in American literature. It aims at examining the development of the American Orientalist writings about Algeria, along with using a postcolonial reading of Bowles’ The Sheltering Sky (1949). A historical study is used to highlight the nature of the Algerian-American relations as far as to analyze the evolution of the early American literary texts that put Algeria under scrutiny. Paul Bowles was among the most influential authors who lived in North Africa and produced many literary works, inspired by the exotic world of the Orient. Algeria was one of the Oriental places which captured Bowles’ attention. Therefore, he produced his first novel The Sheltering Sky (1949), and eventually paved the way for different critical responses. In this respect, this research examines Bowles’ depiction of Algeria, especially, the desert, in addition to the Orientalist aspects discovered in the novel. Algeria in early American literature was mainly represented in Captivity Narratives to enlighten the American public opinion about its strength and culture. As America followed the European Orientalist fashion, Algeria again appeared in American Literature under the lens of Paul Bowles. As a case study, The Sheltering Sky served as an illustration of Bowles' Orientalist penchant, portraying the Algerian desert and its inhabitants as exotic, backward, as well as dangerous. And these were the most crucial findings of the present research.