Recovering the Orient

This text re-appraises and expands the "Orientalism" debate by examining the ways in which the Asian "other" acts as a creative stimulus for the European artist, composer and playwright. In examining the work of Monet, Debussy and Brecht, the opening essays also explore a more subtle and complex circulation of ideas between the "Orient" and the West. It also investigates the scholar's own encounter with the exotic, in particular to what extent Western concepts and categories can be used in the analysis of Asian societies and cultures through the discussion of issues such as the Chinese perception of "space", Javanese notions of "landscape" and Japanese ideas of "tragedy". The concepts of "high art', "low art" and opera are considered in the context of Indonesia, the "book", "concert music" and subjectivity in Japan; and the implication of orality and literacy are examined in Malay society.