Constructing The Muslim ‘Other’ In Middle English Poetry: A New-Historicist Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70670/sra.v4i1.1962Keywords:
New Historicism; Otherness; Crusade Poetry, Muslim RepresentationAbstract
This article examines the construction of the Muslim “Other” in Middle English Crusade poetry through the lens of New Historicism. It argues that medieval poetic texts actively participate in shaping ideological narratives that represent Muslims as evil and diabolic and legitimize Christian hegemony. Drawing on theoretical insights from Stephen Greenblatt, this study explores how literary representations function as instruments of power and discourse. Through close textual and contextual analysis, this article demonstrates that Muslims are consistently portrayed as religious antagonists, morally inferior figures, and silenced subjects within dominant Christian narratives. Through detailed textual analysis of works such as The Sultan of Babylon, Richard Coeur de Lion, The Song of Roland, and The Man of Law by Geoffrey Chaucer, the paper demonstrates that the Muslim “Other” functions as a flexible construct through which medieval Christian identity is articulated and stabilized. Simultaneiouly, these texts reveal tensions and contradictions that expose the instability of ideological authority. These representations are situated within the socio-political framework of the Crusades, revealing how literature contributed to consolidating Christian identity and validating religious hostility. The study concludes that such medieval “Otherness” has had a lasting impact on Western literary traditions and artistic perceptions of Islam.
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