Riva Arnold

Dissertation: Design of the Imagination: How Did Children in the Victorian Period Engage with the Orient?

This paper considers the underexplored area of Orientalism in theatre arts, especially with regard to its influence on Victorian children, by examining the presence of imperialistic and Orientalist themes in literature, stage production and design, cartes de visite and children’s toy theatres. How did children connect with eastern influences at a time when the cultural landscape was infused with imperialist ideology, as depicted in paintings by British Orientalists, such as David Roberts? This paper will first discuss the theme of Orientalism as seen through the eyes of Edward Said, John MacKenzie, Johannes Fabian, and others. It will then consider the Tales of a Thousand and One Nights, and specifically the tales of Aladdin, Ali Baba and Sinbad the Sailor, and proceed to a description of Victorian children and childhood. In the final chapter it will conclude with a detailed description of the theatre, including the toy theatre, which was one of the main sources of how the child encountered the Orient.