Orientalism revisited: Benjamin Disraeli double dealing with William Beckford

This paper challenges the view according to which the Orientalist discourses of William Beckford and Benjamin Disraeli reveal convergence of themes and interests rather than the radical change notably pointed out by Edward Said. The continuity hypothesis is measured against a literary comparison drawn between Beckford and Disraeli, with close attention to their treatment of the sibling attraction. This shows how Beckford’s uncanny rhetoric of incest was converted by Disraeli into a domestic, and Victorian, melodrama.

L’articolo confuta la tesi secondo la quale William Beckford e Benjamin Disraeli, lungi dall’esemplificare due approcci all’Oriente completamente diversi, come evidenziato da Edward Said, rivelerebbero piuttosto interessanti affinità nel loro immaginario ‘orientalista’. La storia del rapporto tra i due scrittori è ricostruita sommariamente e conduce al confronto letterario sul tema del doppio gemellare, a dimostrazione di come la retorica beckfordiana dell’incesto si spenga nel melodramma domestico (e vittoriano) composto da Disraeli.