With ‘The Blue Lotus’ Herge is trying to counter and remedy the idea of The Orient as Other, inserting some reality where ‘Occidental’ notions of the orient have become exaggerated, depicting a fantastically harsh and alien terrain hostile to the sophistication of civilised western society.
The sequence in which the Thom(p)son’s are ‘disguised’ as Orientals (p. 45) and are yet transparently, recognisably European (as an amused harem of locals delightedly observes) perhaps signifies for Herge decidedly inaccurate European preconceptions of the orient, an outmoded Orientalism that begs the revision Herge thinks he’s offering with ‘The Blue Lotus’. Herge is here even suggesting that Orientalism as a European canon of literature is mostly construction, founded on a scant and insubstantial record of cross-cultural observations swimming with the “desires, repressions, investments and projections” (Said, 1978) of the west. Furthermore, it is reasonably assumed that dated European versions of the orient were not a mutual discourse between two cultures; rather, Orientalism had up until then been a one-sided speculation far removed from the realities of its subject culture.
‘The Blue Lotus’ then is an Oriental Revisionist work. This can be seen in the painstaking detail of Herge’s depictions; inspired by the cultural recollections of a Chinese art-student with whom he met (Farr, 1991), Herge underwent laborious cultural and geographical research to paint his Orient as true to form as possible, frame for frame. His most orient-apologetic air though can be seen on page43 in a conversation between Tintin and a Chinese boy, Chang (namesake of the above mentioned art-student) whom Tintin saves from drowning in an overflowing river. Once rescued, Chang expresses gratitude mixed with disbelief that one of the ‘wicked white devils’, guilty of murdering his own grandparents, could have acted so selflessly. It is Chang’s father that has so distorted Chang's perception of European’s. Tintin then tells of some of the established prejudices his people hold over the Chinese, and before long they are both laughing at the naive bigotry of their elders.
Stirring stuff.
Hi SamuelJohn22!
ReplyDeleteExcellent commentary.
Your own viewpoints are clear and well considered. I myself wonder how successful the "oriental revisionist' nature of the work is, along with how today's reader response may differ from the reader response in the 30s - child and adult alike
Just a note:
A great answer but please try and answer 2 or 3 questions, as directed. A quick reference list at the end of the post would also be appreciated.
Interesting you looked at the Thompsons.
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it, they seem like a kind of anti-Tintin; they go about their business in a similar way, but always get things wrong.
It's mostly played for laughs, but consider they were willing to arrest Tintin despite friendship.
Compare with Tintin, who established a connection with Chang, despite animosity.