The Cairo Trilogy from the Perspective of Orientalism

Abstract

Before the 1980s, the meaning of Orientalism was single, that is only to carry out research in various fields related to Oriental civilization, and to excavate, narrate and write knowledge. Orientalism written by the Arab-American scholar Edward W. Said, is one of the representative works of colonial cultural theory that emerged after the 1990s. <i>The Cairo Trilogy</i> (<i>Palace Walk</i>, <i>Palace of Desire</i>, <i>Sugar Street</i>), written by Egyptian Realist writer Naguib Mahfouz in series, published in 1956 and 1957. The story which focused on national identity in the novel takes place in three old neighborhoods in Cairo, Egypt, so this novel is also known as <i>The Cairo Trilogy</i>. Unlike other diaspora writers, Mahfouz did not have multiple nationalities and never left the land he grew up in, but was caught up in the tumultuous times of modern Egypt and experienced the violent clash of Eastern and Western ideologies and cultures. His Cairo Trilogy not only provides a visual representation of Islamic-Arab culture, but also conveys the attitudes and perceptions of the 'other' and his adherence to the local culture through his characters. Focus on the main idea from <i>The Cairo Trilogy,</i> this article will attempt to briefly explain the literary value and significance of the Cairo Trilogy from the perspective of Said's Orientalism.