The Bellini Card is a very different kind of text than the others we have read so far in this class. First of all, it was written by a completely Western author, Jason Goodwin, while the other two novels we have read so far have been written by authors who are Pakistani and Turkish. This is important to keep in mind from the very beginning because it sets up the novel to come from a different perspective than the other works. I would like to address to particular things about this novel that make it substantially different than the other two works we have read, and that should make us questions the Orientalist assumptions it is based on. First, in my edition, there is a quote on the cover page from the New York Times Book Review which reads, “When you read a historical mystery by Jason Goodwin, you to a magic-carpet ride to the most exotic place on Earth”. Already we are set up to look at the characters and cultures described in the novel in a sort of voyeuristic mode, thinking of them as “exotic” and “other” and created solely for purposes of our own entertainment. While Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree and The White Castle both worked self-consciously within the Orientalist discourse in an attempt to expose some of the contradictions and fallacies of that discourse, The Bellini Card seems to be using Orientalism as a type of spectacle that is taken for granted and used for entertainment purposes of the Western audience. One particular section of the novel that highlights how Goodwin uses a simplified version of the Orientalist discourse to construct the text is towards the end of the novel, when Yashim is just beginning to uncover the mystery of the pattern/ symbol. Carla says of the symbol, “the Byzantines had woven it into their Church ritual. To them it represented the union of the finite and infinite. The worlds of God and men. For us, it also symbolized the endless round of commerce—a reminder, if you like, that everyone could share in the infinite bounty of the world. Mehmet, I suspect, saw it as a symbol of dominion: one world, one ruler, under God,” (224). In this paragraph, three complex, diverse cultures are defined simply in how they look at this particular pattern. The way they define the pattern is an expression of their basic world views. This is just one example of many of how Goodwin boils down these intricate and complex cultures down to simple binaries, making The Bellini Card very much a modern day Orientalist text.
I did not think about how the outside of the book actually sets up the novel to come from an Orientalist point of view. I think that idea really changes the way that I look at it. It is strange because you are expecting to see the eastern culture to be looked at in an inferior way compared to the western culture based on the praise on the cover, but when you actually read it you find that it is quite the opposite. On your point about how Goodwin showed the mixture of the three diverse and complex cultures through the use of the pattern drawn by the calligrapher is brilliant. I found it to be a riveting way of comparing and contrasting cultures through the means of a pattern that was created and used in so many different ways but always came back to the commerce between the cultures.
I noticed the New York Times' comment on the front of my copy as well and, before I read the novel, I went right in expecting it to portray a very Orientalist view of the East. But after finishing, I came back to the cover and thought about how that comment is ironic. The Bellini Card takes place largely in Venice, not Istanbul. Yes, we see both cities and cultures, but the action, the focus, takes place in Italy. So, the Times says that Goodwin is taking us to the most exotic place on Earth--Italy? I thought that this highlighted the idea of the cultural exchange between the East and the West. I doubt that the Times writer meant Venice when he or she imagined a journey on a magic carpet, but in truth, much of Venice and the West at large has been influenced and stolen culture from that 'exotic' East.
The first thing I noticed when I picked up The Bellini Card up was the quote on the front by the New York Times Book Review. It was a very blatant clue that the book would involve a mystic Middle Eastern Country and that would support the orientalist view. I, too, was struck by the different depictions of the Middle East by a Western versus an Eastern author. I think these two approaches illustrate the both sides of the orientalist view. One side is dumbfounded by how mystic the culture is, and thus imposes stereotypes onto it and not letting it evolve in their minds; while the other side is feeling the negative effects of those stereotypes. Jason Goodwin is portraying the love for and appreciation of an ancient mystic culture. Tariq Ali and Orhan Pamuk are illustrating the effects of that orientalist umbrella on the actual people of a society and how it inhibits the to be seen as anything other than mystic.
I like how you point out that the authors of the three novels we have read so far come from very different backgrounds: while the first two books we’ve read, Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree and The White Castle, come from Middle Eastern origins, the author of The Bellini Card is British. I agree with you that this is a substantial difference to take into consideration when reading books that primarily focus on the West-East binary. However, I disagree with your post in that I don’t think The Bellini Card is the only text that has promoted Orientalist perspectives. Personally, I found the Orientalist perspective in both Shadows and The White Castle as well. In The White Castle, the Venetian slave is portrayed as an educated, intelligent Westerner whose sole purpose in living with the Hoja is to teach him, while the Hoja is portrayed as an uneducated Easterner who believes in the existence of a planet between the moon and the Earth even though there is no scientific evidence to support that assumption. The Hoja has to learn “Western” science in order to fulfill his potential as an advisor to the sultan. In Shadows as well, female characters had very little voice within the novel. They were never the narrator of a chapter, and when the Great-Aunt’s story is told, it is through her male relatives, like Umar. While I agree with you that The Bellini Card offers the reader an Orientalist perspective to some degree, I disagree with the reason. Orhan Pamuk in particular, a Pakastani, presented an Orientalist perspective within his novel as well.
"A magic-carpet ride" I cannot believe that an author from The New York Times, which is a well respected newspaper would use this phrase. This phrase is ignorant and is proving the orientalist ideas that the West sees the east in the light of fantasy. It is ridiculous that someone would write in a review that a book takes you on a magic-carpet ride because that shows how little the reviewer actually knows about the orient. It seems like the only education of the orient that this reviewer has was by watching the film "Aladdin". "Oh in Aladdin they ride carpets places so they must do that in ALL eastern countries" This is a perfect example of how ignorant some Western intellects are of Eastern culture. I am very glad that you brought this up because I have noticed this as well and it made me angry when I first saw it.
I did not notice the New York Times quote that was included on the cover of The Bellini Card until we read your response in class. I’m sure that the Times meant this comment as a compliment; and obviously the publisher did as well, as it was included on the cover. However, you definitely bring up a good point, that from the very beginning the reader is primed to look at the characters as exotic and different. It’s funny, however, that the majority of the book takes place in Venice. I will infer that “the most exotic place on Earth” still refers to Istanbul, as they preface it (somewhat stereotypically) with the phrase “magic carpet ride”; and the Times is right. In this novel, especially in comparison with Venice, Istanbul is much more exotic and beautiful, and even friendlier, as the Armenians are treated well while the Jews in Venice are exiled to the ghettos.
Jeanne Magnetti The Bellini Card: Culture and Food “The Bellini Card” contains an incredible amount of detail about food, so much in fact that this book makes me hungry. The culture of Venice seems to revolve around food, as does the lifestyle of Yashim and Palewski. There are pages of text describing the cuisine that Palewski eats in Venice. When Palewksi samples the food, he compares it to Turkish food. “They had the same particular preferences… for dozens of little dishes like mezes, though the locals called them cicchetti instead, and they were as finicky as any Ottoman about the provenance of certain fruits and vegetables” (34). All of the food imagery serves to compare the two nations and show their cultural similarities. Moreover, the significance of this obsession with food is seen in Inspector Brunelli’s belief that “Venetians [eat] better than anyone else in the world” (100). It is also seen in the relationship between Yashim and Palewski, which revolves around the dinners they share in Palewski’s home. The Venetians and the Turks seem to define themselves by their relationship with food, and this appears to link the two cultures together. For instance, when Yashim is studying Signora Contarini cooking, she is suspicious of Yashim, scoffing at the idea of “the Moor, [stirring] her polenta” (170). However, the tension at the dinner table eases when Yashim cooks dinner and “In a matter of moments everyone was eating and talking all at once” (199). The Cantarini family’s initial wariness of Yashim is dispelled by the realization that they share a similar cultural value of food. This particular value certainly wouldn’t translate in other nations, such as England, Ireland, and Scotland, which Palewski gloomily and correctly associates with “boiled beef and gin” (16).
I think that this is a very good point to make about how food is used as a kind of literary device in the novel. Food seems to symbolize something essentially human: though Venitians, Turks, Englishmen, etc have different ways of preparing food and eat different types of food, the art of cooking and the act of physically eating seems to be something that transcends national boundaries and ultimately comes down to simply be human. I think if we are looking for any kind of deep, human connection that is independent of geography and culture, it is food. Though food can take on many different style and forms, everyone needs to eat, and everyone likes to eat something delicious.
I agree with your point, that Jason Goodwin uses food as a device throughout The Bellini Card as a way to show his readers the different cultures in Istanbul and Venice. When I was reading the novel, I found it interesting and somewhat surprising that Yashim is able to find so many similarities between the food served in Venice and Istanbul. Being that they are from two different cultures, I thought the food would have more distinct difference in the spices used, etc. I guess there's something innate within humans that forges connections when a group of people sit down to share a meal together.
I agree that food plays a very important role in the cultural exchanges that take place in the novel. I think this is an interesting concept, because food is something that at once unifies us and sets us apart. Every human being needs to eat, but what we eat varies based on our culture. Food almost seems to be similar to art in this respect. Both Turkey and Venice have rich culinary traditions as well as rich artistic traditions. It is interesting that the Venetians produced the portrait of Mehmet for the Ottomans, and Turkish cuisine finds its way to Venice.
One thing I found interesting about The Bellini Card was the importance of language. Although the United States are considered to be a melting pot and we do often have many different languages, English is the accepted language and is most commonly spoken. This presents a problem in the novel since each country has their own language and are in such close proximity to each other. To become a traveler, one must master multiple languages. Yashim shows his intelligence and usefulness in his ability to speak eight languages perfectly. This makes him an invaluable person to the sultan. In addition, Goodwin shows the drawbacks of those not as cultured. Through the character of Maria, Goodwin demonstrates the difficulty of not understanding. When Palewski runs into his friends from Istanbul, Maria cannot understand what they say until they speak French which she understands a little. This shows the importance of being educated and understanding another culture. Goodwin illustrated the necessity for understanding one another to show the differences between Istanbul and Venice and how they may learn to cooperate.
I definitely agree with you that languages are more important in European and Eastern countries. Most people in the U.S. only speak one language, but the nation is so large that people can travel to places with different cultures and landscapes without leaving the country. Also, we share the continent with a second English speaking nation, and the only other language you would need to know in order to cross North America is Spanish. I know that my cousins in Ireland bounce around to many different countries when they travel, Spain being a popular choice, and one of them picked up the Romanian language while volunteering over the summer. I think that the importance of languages is less fully appreciated by many people in America, because geographically speaking we are so isolated from countries where different languages are spoken.
Just something to add on to the language of The Bellini Card, there seems to be a grammar of culture that is understood between the two hemispheres. Signifiers like the Turkish hat Palewski is wearing is an easy tip off to the Venetian officials that he is not American at all. They don't know what an American is supposed to look like and yet they just know that a cultural item as seemingly ubiquitous as a Turkish hat would not be worn by Americans. On the other hand, Palewski recognizes the architecture, artwork, food, etc. as similar to the culture he lives in now. So, although spoken and written language is a huge barrier, the semiotics of the two worlds expose a lot about how they perceive each other. What is ironic about it is that the Italians are suspicious of a single article of clothing and yet they are surrounded by that culture in their own city.
I found Jason Goodwin’s The Bellini Card, to be an extremely interesting novel exploring the genre of mystery in a self-conscious way. The point of view is set in third person, and yet it creates a sense of self-consciousness through the usage of foreshadowing, imagery, and the character’s overall acknowledgement of the use of performance. From the very start of the novel, one of the main characters Yashim, responds to the notion of the city of Venice as embodying a sense of play or performance. I found this interesting because the book itself is full of numerous extreme characters, all of which represent different aspects of life and culture during this time period. Furthermore, it is ironic that the characters respond to this idea in that the events that happen throughout the novel, are a bit ridiculous as well.
Yashim surprises Palewski at one point in a disguise as a grotesque beggar on the streets of Venice, taking on the identity of another character. On page 166 Palewski recognizes the fact that he had been tricked into believing that he’d come close to purchasing the Bellini painting as he exclaims, “It’s impossible to tell the real from the false”. This distinction between the real and false plays out throughout the entire novel, causing the reader to constantly question what is essentially authentic and what is not. This mask and blurry aspects add to the overall mystery of The Bellini Card, further playing into the depiction of the various cultures described through its many characters.
The ultimate character of the novel, can truly be considered the city of Venice in itself. The city takes on its own personality seeing as it contains the secrets to the Bellini painting, as well as its concealed history. Upon viewing the documentary on Jason Goodwin’s commentary of the novel, it because clear to how fascinated he was with creating these elaborate characters. Throughout The Bellini Card, this becomes undoubtedly highlighted as the characters embody personas across a large spectrum.
Finally, contributing to the mysterious effect of the novel, is the vivid imagery done through foreshadowing and language. The way in which the novel is written is highly descriptive, down to the very color of the center of an onion Yashim chops in half. These images are left to linger within the reader’s mind, clueing them into its final chapters. The description of the patterned tiles was continuously discussed, once again hinting that this image would eventually reappear with great importance towards the ending.
I agree that with Dia that Goodwin uses foreshadowing to contribute to the mysterious effect of the novel. From the very first page the story is told from the perspective of a man about to die, showing the ominous mood of the novel. Goodwin is extremely detailed in portraying the death of this character through the use of imagery. Throughout the novel Goodwin repeats this method of telling the perspective of a man about to die to highlight the mysterious tone. Dia accurately describes how foreshadowing is used to contribute to the mystery and imagery of the novel.
In Jason Goodwin's The Bellini Card, there seems to be a weight placed on food and it's representations in culture. In both Istanbul and Venice the reader gets a glimpse of the cuisine enjoyed in each place, and it reveals as many surprising similarities for Palewski as it does differences.
Palewski's first Venetian meal is a polenta with onions and anchovies. Palewski seems to be familiar with polenta, even though it is an Italian dish. This is an example of blending of cultures; not only does Palewski enjoy the polenta dish, but it "put him in a better mood" (24) which describes the incredible effect food can have in times of difficulty (he had just seen the body floating in the canal).
The next significant meal is passed with Ruggerio. Ruggerio makes a comment about the differences in breakfast amongst other cultures; "I know, I know. A pensione breakfast - a little roll, a watery coffee, e basta! Come. I will show you how a man should eat in this city" (Goodwin 30). Following this Palewski and Ruggerio eat a large breakfast consisting of wine, coffee, and "good food" (32) and thus is the introduction to Venetian lifestyle for Palewski. A scene with Brunelli later shows innate Patriotism in the way the Venetians eat; "Like many Venetians, Brunelli believed that Venetians ate better than anyone else in the world" (100).
I absolutely agree and love the point you’ve made about the significance of food as culture throughout The Bellini Card. Along with this, as I read the novel the connection of food reminded me of its use in the other texts we’ve read. Food is used as a way to connect to the reader through the senses into what the characters are doing at that moment in time. I believe that Goodwin has done an excellent job with this, and uses vivid imagery and language to describe the elaborate meals Yashim cooks up. Furthermore, I enjoyed the point you made in describing the difference in cultures between Ruggerio and Palweski. This scene in the novel was a great insight into the differences in cultures, and how luxurious and important meals are in Venice. The emphasis on wine and drinking I felt was highlighted, coinciding with the care-free Venetian depiction of life.
I found the use of food in the novel to be a key element in painting the differences between cultures. It also showed Yashim's way of releasing himself in a very sensual manner. IT was very interesting to see the different styles of food. I particularly liked the scene where Yashim is cooking in Maria's home and feels slightly out of place with the tools but still manages to get by with what Maria's mother has in her kitchen as well as his knife. He goes into minute detail about each of the ingredients as well as explaining the preparations of the meals he cooks extremely eloquently. It shows that Yashim has a sensual side and his love is for food instead of women. I think that shows how different the cultures can be and how they can intertwine through the use of food. I think food plays a large part in the novels we have read because it is a huge symbol of culture and I like how you pointed out how even though Palewski had not been to Venice before, he still enjoyed the food as if it was the food of his home. That shows how similar the cultures are and how big of a connector food can be between cultures.
I think that Jason Goodwin is trying to get an idea about the Italian culture and what it is like across in a short amount of time, and to do this he uses something that is dear to the Italian culture which is food. When thinking about the amount of emphasis that food has in this book and its representation in culture, and how the food seemed to put Palewski at ease and times I think of how much effect food can truly have on a person? I come from a Polish and Italian background my Grandmother is a full polish and my grandfather a full Italian. The quote you talk about “Put him in a better mood” (24) reminded me of how my grandmother would make food whenever something bad had happened or when something had gone wrong. She was more prone to cook at these times though I never really understood why because if I had heard or saw something upsetting I would not want to stand in a kitchen and cook but rather lay in my bed. My grandmother would always call these “comfort foods” even though they were things that seemed complicated to make instead of just simple things (which is what I think of when I think of comfort foods). Food is a very big thing in the Italian culture; people use it for all sorts of things which is what we see in this novel. From my experience with my Italian family cuisines are the things that are passed down like traditions, something that you can always expect when you visit family, almost like it is used as a way to keep extended families together and close.
Medieval Art and Orientalist Representations in The Bellini Card
After today's lecture on Bellini, it became apparent that the artist's fascination with the Ottoman Empire was not born out of some skewed and exotic picture of the East. Looking at more of his artwork, Bellini put a lot of care into depicting the East just as other Medieval artists had done with the West. Even the portrait of Mehmed the Conqueror is infused with humanity and is a surprisingly modest painting for its subject matter. The point I think Goodwin is trying to make in his history of art between the East and West is in keeping with the histories of the other books we have read. The Medieval era seems to be a point history where relative cohesion and cultural understanding took place between the two hemispheres, which has been recorded in the works of Bellini.
Of course, all good things cannot last. Now that it is 1840 and the West is becoming more and more fascinated at the orientalist spectacle of Turkey, the fight for Bellini's Mehmed intensifies. On one hand the reader gets an image of the Eastern world trying to preserve this painting as an accurate depiction of their world. It not only represents proof that the East is not some exotic and strange place but also that it shares a rich history with the great artists and thinkers of the other world. Abdulmecid might be trying to restore a traditional and eminent image of the Ottoman Empire to help bolster his own politics. Much like the bridge the sultan is building to gain the favor of the city, this portrait would bridge the gap between Mehmed and the new Sultan. (Goodwin 6) Nevertheless, this portrait marks an important part of Turkey's history and would be properly preserved and viewed where it was first constructed.
On the other hand, the reader witnesses the destruction of the West's fantasy of the East. People are murdered in the pursuit of this portrait. Since I haven't finished the book, I'm still not sure if this is for reasons other than the cultural/monetary value of the portrait itself but it seems to be the case that the Venetians want the portrait simply to preserve it and honor its cultural capital. It was around this time that many pieces of art were being produced that would have exoticized the East in order to be a spectacle to European art buyers. Although Mehmed's portrait does not come off as anything but an honest underwhelming depiction of a ruler, Edward Said has proven that Europeans have historically projected their own analysis onto such works of art. Just the fact that his name is Mehmend the Conqueror would have added to the fantasy of a barbaric state.
Wouldn't it be all the more fascinating if this were a true story? I agree with your last paragraph in regards to adding to the exotic nature of the East; however, I feel slightly different about the purpose of protecting the painting. I believe it holds other economic and philosophic concerns to Venice and Venetian art dealers. Most of the characters in the story are living in a time when Venice as they once knew it has been all but destroyed; ransacked and poverty-stricken they exist by what means they can. Holding onto such a painting by such a famous artist who was Venetian is a symbolic holding on to a culture that has dissipated in many ways. Perhaps this brings to question the difference between Bellini as a national symbol of Venetian artistry and the painting of Mehmed as being distinctly of Turkish origin. From this perspective, who should own it? It is a question of nationalism that is perhaps too complex for a clear answer.
I like your interpretation of each side's fight over the portrait; it's all about perspective (no pun intended) because art especially is open to interpretation. After reading this and discussing it briefly, I started to wonder why cultures insist on stealing from another? I understand it on a purely egotistic stance: if you think your culture is the best, you want to pass off every positive and impressive invention, piece of art, or delicious dish as your own. But when it comes down to Britain possessing something clearly Indian or, as in the novel, the fight over a piece of artwork with clear origins and subject matter, why would one culture continue to hold on to something that is not their own? Why do Americans put on exhibits oh Iraqi art when it seems like we don't even appreciate that culture anyway? I'm not sure about the answer, but it seems like something to consider. Does it stem from imperialistic ideals? To possess a culture is to dominate it? Because clearly, artifacts and the like mean more to the culture which produced it than any outsider.
Venice: Orientalist Ideals in the West By Kristen Fisher When reading the mystery novel, The Bellini Card by British author Jason Goodwin I was struck most by the many ways in which Venice was described. The Italian city is the primary setting of the novel and prior to reading it I pictured Venice as the iconic city it is today with its beautiful canals and piazzas. Yet, Goodwin includes scenes depicting 19th century Venice in a very different light; it is quite similar to Istanbul and the Eastern world, but in a much more depleted way with a corrupt government and rampant poverty. What stood out to me the most was the amount of Orientalism highlighted within the city of Venice, in both descriptions and conversations had by the many characters throughout the novel. Goodwin looks to stress the extent to which Venice was based off of the East, but focuses simply on stereotypical understandings of Islam and the Eastern world. In the early sections of the novel when Palewski first arrives in Venice, he is struck by the cultural similarities of Istanbul, a city he is quite familiar with. When he mentions this to Barbieri, it is boasted upon that Venice forcefully took many items directly from Istanbul including reference libraries, marbles and statues (53). The idea of stealing Eastern culture to make it better is proudly highlighted by many of the Italian characters; as Barbieri himself explains, “Venice, of course, is Istanbul” (53). This quote reveals that Eastern worlds were never truly respected by other areas and people across the world. Despite Eastern achievements, the West would rather steal than respect the advanced culture of the Eastern worlds. Another explicit Orientalist idea highlighted in the novel is the concept of the “harem” that we discussed in class today. For example, Palewski invites women over to distract his Western colleagues with sex and describes to his fellow men that Venice is a city characterized by the idea of “the Arabian nights reborn” (106). Having taken much from the East, the Western characters highlight that even the sexual culture of Istanbul has been taken and re-applied as a foreign pleasure for the enjoyment of Westerners. These instances of Western Orientalist mindsets are found throughout The Bellini Card. It seems to me that Jason Goodwin did not recognize some of the stereotypical concepts he was applying to his understanding of the Ottoman Empire and Venice in the 19th century, yet as a British writer he could not help but look at this historical city through a Western perspective. This novel helped me to once again recognize that the subtle assumptions we have come to believe about foreign lands, many of those in the Eastern world, are indeed incorrect and that we need to stop automatically applying these to truly change our understanding of the ‘other.’
I totally agree that it sounds like what Goodwin ends up doing to Venice is portraying Venice as a corrupt version of Istanbul. As Professor Akman mentioned, there is definitely this reversal of orientalist discourse going on throughout the book. What could be problematic in looking at it this way could be to conclude that the influence of the East had a deleterious affect on the West. Obviously, this is not true, but Goodwin's sensibilities seem to be ambivalent enough to allow uninformed readers to interpret it in this way. Really, they should be focusing on the West's inherent problems.
This was a really thoughtful and well-written response. You are right to point out that the way Goodwin describes the setting in Venice is a lot less magnificent than a reader from the Western world might expect. The stereotypical western perspective of the 'other' is characterized very negatively and is often associated with primitiveness. However Paleswski does not seem impressed himself with Venice after having lived in Istanbul. In Palewski's first impression of Venice, he mentions seeing a peasant on the street in a heap of rags, and there is a lot of discussion about Ruggerio's poverty as well. Barbieri's notion that Venice is a replica of Istanbul based on all of the stolen and borrowed cultural and artistic influences also goes further to create a unanticipated perspective of the Western world during this time period. The way the West borrows Eastern traditions is also nicely demonstrated by the idea of the harem, as you described. I completely agree with you when you say that "...the Western characters highlight that even the sexual culture of Istanbul has been taken and re-applied as a foreign pleasure for the enjoyment of Westerners." The Western idea of the harem is translated incorrectly into Western culture and becomes a "foreign pleasure". Wonderful blog response!
A gender role is something that was and I believe something that is still very prevalent no matter where you are. In The Bellini Card by Jason Goodwin the ideas of gender roles are presented and accounted for. When reading The Bellini Card I did not catch the fact that this section brought in the different ideas of gender roles. The question on the discussion sheet made me go back and further examine the passage which starts on page 92. Two quotes on this page seems to really stand out to me these being "...touching them with her strong fingers” and “A calligrapher’s fingers: she had her father’s hands.” To me these both seem to be instances where this lady is given qualities that are most closely associated with a male. I thought it was interesting that Jason Goodwin would describe her fingers as being somewhat manly very much like her father’s instead of them being described and light and delicate but still able to do the harsh work that her father did. Looking around this room Yashim could not tell the difference between her father’s works and her own therefore he could not decipher whose did what. Goodwin then goes on to say on that same page that Meliha had equaled that of her father. Yashmin seemed to very surprised in a way at this, did he think that a daughter couldn’t draw as good as her own father even if she was brought up doing it? In this passage they were talking about the father’s work therefore it can be assumed that by saying she equaled him Goodwin means she equaled him in her skill, but is it possible that he could mean it in a different way?
I really enjoyed reading this blog response reflecting on gender roles in The Bellini Card because it brings up questions that force the reader to attempt to fully understand what Jason Goodwin was looking to argue and men and women in 19th century Istanbul. When I was reading this part of the novel I only was struck by the concept that women were not supposed to be the one copying to Koran and was intrigued to find that a woman was rebelling by doing her father’s job. Yet I also questioned whether or not she was doing this solely to be a loyal daughter or if she was challenging a female’s place. I did not catch the references to her hands and how Goodwin specifically chose to describe her hands with a more masculine tone. If anything I think this could reflect upon the fact that Meliha had been doing this for years and that her father had always expected her to follow on with family tradition despite gendered restrictions. Overall, I find this an interesting challenge to a novel that seems somewhat steeped in the Orientalist tradition. Jason Goodwin reveals a more progressive take towards expectations of men and women despite his desire to submit to stereotypical Eastern beliefs.
I agree with the author of this blog response that gender roles are always prevalent in literature. I found myself wondering whether this showed a more progressive stance towards gender roles or if it was steadfast in the conservative expectations of women. I believe that Goodwin was trying to show women in a positive light that challenged the expectations of women. The Contessa showed a strong, capable woman who was able to hold her own against a man like Palewski. Maria is shown saving Palewski from the police and giving him an alibi to protect him. I agree with my classmates that Goodwin was showing a more progressive viewpoint of the expectations of men and women.
I do agree whole heartedly with your analysis of how Goodwin depicts her hands as being manly, as if they would have to hold something true to men in order to be good at the work Meliha does. When I read this passage I had a different reaction; I was under the impression that it was forbidden for women to transcribe the Qur’an, thus the line “’Is it forbidden,’ he asked slowly, ‘for a woman to transcribe the word of God, when she does it as well as any man?’” (92). Upon reading this I initially reacted in agitation; of course a British author is going to talk about the ways in which Islamic women are once again depicted as oppressed. After thinking about it again I realized, is this not like any European culture at the time? There were also jobs that were held strictly for men such as doctors or lawyers. Often women at this time upheld typical roles that we see in the Middle East as being oppressive or degrading; staying chaste, getting married, raising children. While I wish Goodwin would have elaborated more on this parallelism between Europe and the Middle East at this time, I also think the fact that he includes this scene at all is thought provoking for this subject. Meliha is working in secret, much like how many women have had to work throughout all of history, such as how women have disguised themselves as men in order to fight in wars.
I have never been out of the United States except for a short trip to Canada about ten years ago with my family. If I had the opportunity to go somewhere, visiting Venice was definitely one of my top picks. Waterways for roads was a concept that fascinated me; seemed in some ways too good to be true. Upon reflection now, I see how the bright overtones of my visualization are a bit of a mirage. Like any other city it possesses the darker undertones and complex issues, rather than the mirage of a utopia I had envisioned in my dreams. Above everything else, the novel reminded me that a city is a city, with all the good elements and the ugly elements mixed into a stew of humanity.
In addition to the realistic reminder, the style in which the novel was written is refreshing. The intense scenes are all packed into sometimes very short chapters which induce a quick read and an instant attention-grabbing quality. The shifts in viewpoint and narration that occur simultaneously with the chapter changes add complexity to the plot and an added investment of interest from the reader.
I would also love to visit Venice, much like you haven’t been anywhere but Canada. I have also always had this image in my head of Venice, how beautiful it would be to see with all the waterways. I have never really thought about the fact that it might have flaws. I think that this novel becomes so much more complex as well as the characters becoming so much more complex because of the fact the chapters are so short compared to the other books we have read so far in this class. Since the chapters are so short details cannot really being given therefore we cannot learn about the different characters in this book as in depth as I would like. This could also be why this is considered a mystery novel, kind of like a mystery TV show or movie they tend to keep the scenes short, and do not provide much detail until they end when they realize what happened/ who killed the person (if that it was kind of movie it is). This is used to not only grab the attention of the reader/watcher but to keep their attention as well because you are always learning something new and you want to find out how the mystery ends.
I definitely agree that Goodwin’s choice to depict Venice in the way that he did, went against my original dream-like vision of the acclaimed city. I did however enjoy the way in which he utilized the description and character of the city, in that it in a way mimicked the events of the story. The story itself was a mystery, and the city of Venice acted in this way as well. The trick doors, crumbling buildings, along with the elaborate water ways, undoubtedly added to the overall effect of the novel. This brings the light the fact that this city is truly a city, one full of mystery and an unsteady history. In addition to this, I feel that the shifts in viewpoints further added to this, working simultaneously with the winding streets of Venice. I happened to like the way in which each chapter worked to depict a different character’s persona, although it took a few chapters to get fully acquainted with this style of writing.
I agree that it is certainly easy to romanticize the atmosphere and cultures of foreign cities such as Venice, especially if you have never been there. I am just as guilty of similar assumptions about places I want to visit. Although Orientalism and the glorification of other cities and cultures can be obviously detected in the media and literature we read, it is often more difficult to recognize it in ourselves. In my lit theory class we discussed the formalist idea that the purpose of art is to defamiliarize the world around us so that we pay more attention and experience it more fully. I think this is partially why it is so easy to fall into the Orientalist trap of wanting to go to "exotic" places. We are drawn to them because, even though at there core they are the same as any other community, they are just different enough to defamiliarize the aspects of daily life we usually ignore in a way that makes the mundane seem exciting again. For example, driving cars can be boring, but replace the roads with canals and gondolas and suddenly transportation is experienced as if for the first time. In reality, though, all cities have their strong points and their faults.
When I experienced any art I was unable to figure out what was Good art or Bad art. When I saw a movie with people, they would leave it with comments like “Oh I hated that Film” or “Oh that was Great”. I didn’t really get what made art good or bad. So while reading this book I realized a couple things that I have never realized before. I realized that I did not enjoy reading the book, and I felt extremely unsatisfied.
At the surface entertainment is what should judge a piece of art. While I was reading I felt unsatisfied and annoyed with the progression of the plot. With the short chapters lasting from a page long to at most two pages. This really made reading the book disjointed. Every time the plot would get going it would stop by how short the chapters were. It made me feel like the author had an attention problem. One moment you are totally invested in a scene and then bam, you are taken away and left feeling unsatisfied. The ending was also confusing and not satisfying either. This at the surface was a real sign that told me that this book was not that well done.
When you look deeply into why this book bad, it hit me when I started to research more about how the author Jason Goodwin wrote the book. He would generally start writing without any idea of how the book was going to end. This is a terrible way to write books, you start the book with many questions and while you are writing this you as the author does not even know the answer. While talking to Professor Akman he agreed that this is a terrible way to write books. It makes the ending unsatisfying and not what it was built up to be.
Goodwin also states that he “walked” from Poland to Istanbul, and for some reason in his head he believes that this justifies his reasons for being able to write about the Orient. I am happy I was able to read this book and see reason of why things are labeled “bad”. I think in order to better ones own work one should read how bad work is created, just as one should look to good work.
In my critical analysis class, we have been talking about the history of the short story and how culture has a pull and influence on how literature evolves. The short story came into being with the rise of the middle class. About the same time in history, books became more affordable and literacy was on the rise. However, the people of the middle class could not devote hours to study of books like the wealthy of older or ancient times could. As a result, there was a market for the shorter story because it fit in with the lives of the daily routines and busy schedules. The literary style of the short chapters with multiple viewpoints came into being along similar cultural lines; short chapters allowed for easy stop-points when reading. Multiple viewpoints added interest and layering to the novel that a short story does not have the space to develop. As a result, looking at the probable targeted audience, I believe that the novel was more constructed to be an easy read and a fast-seller then a work of literary wonder. I appreciated the short chapters because of my limited time and busy days. The multiple viewpoints and chopped plot-line forced me to remember details, however it also made it easy to forget details. All of this aside, novels written in this style are difficult to write. Additionally, unless you have a direct quote from the author stating that he did not have any end destination in mind and that he did so out of laziness rather then his preferred writing method, to put words into his mouth would be considered a literary fallacy on the part of the reader.
Personally, I had a similar opinion of the book as you did, Brian, but for very different reasons. I do not think writing without an ending in mind is a bad way to go. It can, in many ways, be better, allowing the author to, in the moment, realistically figure out what a particular character will do, and avoid making the narrative feel too contrived. As well, many popular authors, such as Stephen King, write like this, and while how good they are is up for debate, you cannot deny that they are popular. It is simply another way of writing, and don't forget that the book doesn't go straight to publishing from this point. The author must still go back and edit, and that is his or her opportunity to answer those unanswered questions, and to more finely mold the rough draft of the novel.
Where I do agree with you is that Goodwin's research is lacking. Goodwin uses gaps in the historical record to create a sense of conspiracy and intrigue much like Dan Brown's novels. He also inevitably resorts to Orientalism, or, as Professor Akman said, "reverse-Orientalism." It's almost an apologetic type of historical fiction, as though Goodwin (along with other similar authors) is saying, "We've been really terrible to other cultures, but really, they're great and we're the terrible ones." This type of thinking similarly does a disservice to readers, because it continues to divide the East and West into polarized caricatures of what they really are, and makes the idea of unifying them as concepts impossible.
In the reading of The White Castle, by Orham Pamuk, the city of Venice is described as an idol of intellectual and artistic importance to the rest of the Mediterranean, especially those considered to be of the East. In contrast, Istanbul is described as meekly trying to imitate the wonders of Venice. Interestingly enough, in The Bellini Card, by Jason Goodwin, the cities are portrayed in a very different way. Instead of Venice lending its culture and influencing Istanbul in a powerful way, it is described how Venice is dependent on Istanbul not only for cultural influence, but for the existence of the cities wealth. The first hint in the Bellini Card about the degradation of Venice from its former glory comes from the first line from Palewski upon arriving in Venice, “So this is Venice,” Palewski muttered, shading his eyes against the shards of sunlight bouncing off the sea. “How ghastly.”(Chapter 7). It is important to note that Palewski feigns to be an American while in Venice to avoid Austrian officials. This Austrian interference in Venice, at this point in the story said to be 30 years since it started, cut off trade and connections between Venice and Istanbul. From Palewski’s observation of the Ottoman style trade house once inhabited by frequent traders from Istanbul, it can be assumed trade was beneficial for both parties. When Venice loses much of its contact with the Ottomans due to the Austrians, it described how dilapidated and unused much of Venice became. It seems that the stop in the exchange between Venice and Istanbul only hurts Venice. Aside from the wealth that can be accumulated from trade, much of Venetian culture seems derived from the Ottomans. Palewski mentions how he thought the Italians must have learned how to cook from the Ottomans, because the food and style of preparation, like how to cook rice for risotto, are characteristic of eastern cuisine. Palewski also notes that the architecture reminds him an awful lot of eastern styles. Perhaps it is symbolic of the break between Venice and Istanbul, but many of the buildings described as eastern are in a horrible state of disrepair: “… nor did she appreciate the Byzantine architecture of the old palace, built in the twelfth century in the fashionable Eastern style. What interested her… were ratholes and rubbish heaps, scraps of wood, paper, and old fabric that cluttered the corners, areas of greenish damp and fallen plaster…”(Chapter 22). If food and architecture are cues to the culture of a people, then Venice is heavily influenced by Istanbul. This could also be why Venice is described in such a negative way in the novel, because it no longer had ties with the source of its own culture.
This is a very interesting idea. I agree with your ideas on how Istanbul greatly influenced Venice culturally. I think it it is also very important to talk about how Goodwin is from Great Britain (The West) and Orhan Pamuk is from Turkey (The East) yet their ideas of Venice and Istanbul are completely opposite. Pamuk believes that Venice was a source or intellect when Goodwin states that Venice is a decaying city that sits on the culture given to them by the Turks. This is very ironic and interesting that the author representing the west is quick to jump on the west as being culturally reliant, and decaying in contrast to Istanbul which still thrives. This idea is interesting and confusion, I don't get why Goodwin did this.
I have to admit, when I first read the back cover of The Bellini Card and saw that Yashim was described as a eunuch almost immediately, I automatically assumed that Jason Goodwin was going to use this fact to paint the Ottoman Empire in a bad light. The act of forced castration seems near barbaric in present day America, and it would be easy for him to highlight this and portray the Ottoman Empire negatively; often, cultural disparities like these are used to emphasize the differences between the East and the West. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that although Yashim is known as a eunuch, he is more importantly known as an intelligent and important detective. Instead of easily playing on the East v. West dichotomy, he uses an archetypal Orientalist stereotype and uses it to show that Ottomans are not any less academic than the West.
Also, the fact that Yashim is a eunuch makes him the perfect detective. Of course he was born with his curiosity and ingenuity; but being a eunuch gives him much more privelage and access than normal men of that time period. For example, he is able to come and go from the Harem, which was a higher education institution of sorts for young women, teaching them sophistication, social sciences, art, etc. While it is meant for women only, Yashim is not a threat because of his eunuch status. It is also assumed that he will not be tempted by beautiful women, so the sultan can send him to different countries and on different missions without worrying about his focus wavering. Instead of turning his castration into a lifetime of misery, Goodwin focuses on the positives of Yashim’s status.
This response to the characterization of Yashim throughout The Bellini Card is a well-written response and summarizes similar thoughts I also had while reading the novel. Because Jason Goodwin is the first author we have read that does not have roots in the Eastern half of the world, the decision to have his main character be a eunuch struck me as a very typical Orientalist move when I first began to read the novel. Yet, Yashim’s status as a eunuch is not central to the plot of the novel or reiterated again and again. Instead of being disabled in his abilities, Yashim utilizes his status to gain the full extent of his education and to become focused upon solving mysteries and assisting the sultan. I agree that this makes him the perfect detective and as we talked about in class the other day, makes him more similar to the famous European detectives of the past like Sherlock Holmes. I can only wonder what would have happened if Goodwin had written this story without Yashim as a eunuch and wonder what other possible Eastern stereotypes he may have possibly applied to his male lead. Looking back at the novel as a whole I wonder if the story would have been filled with more romantic scenes and relationships and if Yashim would have been the same smart and clever detective. Goodwin’s decision to create a eunuch character allowed him to simultaneously create a character that fits into the classic detective format as well as feed into the Western need for some stereotypical aspects of the Eastern world.
The idea of a eunuch is barbaric, no doubt, and just like you I was surprised by the angle Jason Goodwin looks at eunuches. Expecting some story involving the Muslim’s turning Yashim into a eunuch for their own purposes, it is, if not pleasant, enlightening to know that that such a sorry fate befell Yashim at a young age by foreign criminals. I also agree that being a eunuch is beneficial to Yashim and his detective work, as you stated it allows him to go places other men could not. Whether being a eunuch prevented bonding with the opposite sex, it seems that Yashim became very attached to Carla in Venice. The text was not clear as to the extent of their relationship, but it seems the bond Yashim had with Carla (the bond in part because of being a Eunuch) inevitably helped Yashim solve the mystery.
I agree that Yashim’s eunuch status is an advantage for his work. I have read a few of the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming, and it is as if he is entrusting the fate of the world to a fourteen year old boy. There is a blatant lack of tradecraft and a level of absurdity in which it seems a miracle that the protagonist ever accomplishes anything. The only reason that his character isn’t killed in every single novel is because of the ridiculous blundering of the comical villains, whose attempts at horrifying evil are actually poorly strategized and easily countered. Yashim, on the other hand, is clearly highly intelligent and highly capable. He makes great use of disguises, rather than waltzing into dangerous situation and announcing his detective status to all his enemies, in the way that James Bond so theatrically introduces himself. Yashim displays a great deal of cleverness in his deductions and rationality in dealing with situations. I like the way that Jason Goodwin uses a negative stereotype about the middle east to create a hero.
In the video we watched about Goodwin’s vision of Istanbul he expressed how mystified he was by Istanbul and how he fell in love it. Throughout his novel I believe he truly tries to convey that love for the country and in by doing so allows the reader to become part of the mystic classical interpretation of a Middle Eastern Country.Goodwin communicates this feeling through food.
There is a great deal of cultural expression in food. We find the greatest pleasure in the preparation, consumption and distribution of food that speaks volumes of our culture and therefore reflects upon us. What better medium to use to draw the reader into the exotic world of the Middle East than by luring us in with spices, unfamiliar colors, mysterious smells and fantastic dishes? We are shown a window into Goodwin’s mystic Istanbul through Yashim’s cooking and Goodwin’s description of the scene. Yashim “…set a pan on the coals, slopped in a gurgle of oil, and dropped in the finely chopped onion. He reached into a crock for two handfuls of rice. He cut the herbs small and scraped them into the rice with the blade” (64). The sights and sounds from this scene are quite poetic and evoke a very rich emotion from the reader and calls upon their senses to fill in the blanks and make the scene even more full and exotic. From the use of coal, a very archaic way of cooking, to the scooping, not measuring, of rice out of it's resting place the mystic cook intensifies the exotic feel of Istanbul. There are many scenes through out the book in which Goodwin depicts rich foods as when Yashim went to visit Yamaluk and sees the “pots of rosemary and sage against the whitewashed walls and a lemon tree” (90) and again when he is in Venice and he “fried slices of aubergine in oil… peeled and chopped a few cloves of garlic… threw in a big pinch of cinnamon, a bunch of torn basil and the tomatoes” (192).
So what does this say about orientalism? It really isn’t perpetuating a bad stereotype of the Middle East, however, it is fueling the exotic and mystic ideal of the region which then leads to the understanding that they, as one identity, is still set back in time and is a wondrous Arabia sizzling with intrigue, adventure and mystery. Taking the reader on, according to the New York Times Book Review, “a magic-carpet ride to the most exotic place on Earth.”
I definitely agree when you say that “there is a great deal of cultural expression in food.” Not only that, but many cultures are seemingly defined by their food; for example, when I think of Italy I automatically think of pizza, and the same goes for the U.K. and fish and chips. It was a unique choice for Goodwin to try and recreate the Ottoman atmosphere by describing the food in such luxurious detail, yet it was a choice that ultimately worked out well in the end. I would say that focusing on the food certainly does not put the East in any sort of negative light; if anything, it brings Istanbul alive for the reader. At first I didn’t see anything wrong with this image, but I’ll admit that, as you say in the last paragraph, it demonstrates an East that is exotic and mystic, and although the novel is set in the 1800s it almost perpetuates the notion that the East hasn’t changed.
All of the dishes described in this book are pretty foreign to the typical American reader. I like that you question what are Jason Goodwin's motives in going to great pains to describe the food? Is he trying to emphasize how different these cultures are from our own by describing in detail these exotic, luxurious dishes? In some sense I feel that Goodwin just really likes food and is engaging in some sort of weird self-gratifying pleasure in describing the meals so much, and I found myself just skimming through those sections because I didn't really care how much garlic Yashim was cutting up. On the other hand I get the sense that food is a humanizing source for Goodwin, and that in describing how people eat he is pointing out how alike all people are in their need for food and desire to eat well.
I agree that how Istanbul is orientalized by Jason Goodwin’s text is not that bad on the scale of things; instead of being demonized as different and frightening, he uses food to show some of the unknown intrigue of the east in an accessible way. You noted how the way Yashim cooks is almost poetic, and this description of cuisine seems to be very open and inviting. It seems that cuisine is something that is very accessible for other cultures, and in this way Jason Goodwin, as you’ve said, lets us look into at least some of Istanbul’s culture.
In class today, we talked a bit about the misconceptions surrounding eunuchs. Perhaps the main misconception about eunuchs is that the practice of castration was solely of Islamic origin. Jason Goodwin, author of The Bellini Card, seems to fulfill the Orientalist perspective of Islam by creating the main protagonist of his novel, a Muslim native to Istanbul, a eunuch. However, after realizing what exactly an eunuch was (I’d never actually heard the term before), I immediately thought back to a basic Music History class I took last year. During the Baroque era of music, roughly around 1600 to 1750, prepubescent boys were oftentimes castrated. Because the Roman Catholic Church forbid women from singing in the church choir during this time period, young boys and castrated men became the high-pitched soprano voices of the church and opera. Boys from poor families were usually transformed into castrati in the hopes that they would become famous singers and be able to help support their families. What I found most interesting about this comparison was the reasons behind castration in both cultures. While in the West, namely Italy, castration was performed on young boys so that they might provide musical service to the church (and thus their religion), most eunuchs in the Ottoman Empire were castrated for service to the sultan and the government ruling the empire. Thus, although many people relate the origination of the eunuch with Islam and the Middle Eastern culture, the Catholic Church popularly castrated boys centuries before Yashim’s lifetime in The Bellini Card. Additionally, many of the eunuchs who served in the Ottoman Empire were imported by slave traders from either Africa or the Balkans area of Europe—both Christian-dominated places.
I particularly appreciated this response especially because it delves into the history of castratis and baroque music as an example of where eunuchs existed commonly in Western history. Yashim's status as a eunich to the sultan can be compared to the status of eunichs in the Roman Catholic church in that they were both castrated to improve their performance and service to society.This is yet another example of how the West and the East mirror each other in the time period this novel is set in. Really interesting research!
The Bellini Card is a very different kind of text than the others we have read so far in this class. First of all, it was written by a completely Western author, Jason Goodwin, while the other two novels we have read so far have been written by authors who are Pakistani and Turkish. This is important to keep in mind from the very beginning because it sets up the novel to come from a different perspective than the other works.
ReplyDeleteI would like to address to particular things about this novel that make it substantially different than the other two works we have read, and that should make us questions the Orientalist assumptions it is based on. First, in my edition, there is a quote on the cover page from the New York Times Book Review which reads, “When you read a historical mystery by Jason Goodwin, you to a magic-carpet ride to the most exotic place on Earth”. Already we are set up to look at the characters and cultures described in the novel in a sort of voyeuristic mode, thinking of them as “exotic” and “other” and created solely for purposes of our own entertainment. While Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree and The White Castle both worked self-consciously within the Orientalist discourse in an attempt to expose some of the contradictions and fallacies of that discourse, The Bellini Card seems to be using Orientalism as a type of spectacle that is taken for granted and used for entertainment purposes of the Western audience.
One particular section of the novel that highlights how Goodwin uses a simplified version of the Orientalist discourse to construct the text is towards the end of the novel, when Yashim is just beginning to uncover the mystery of the pattern/ symbol. Carla says of the symbol, “the Byzantines had woven it into their Church ritual. To them it represented the union of the finite and infinite. The worlds of God and men. For us, it also symbolized the endless round of commerce—a reminder, if you like, that everyone could share in the infinite bounty of the world. Mehmet, I suspect, saw it as a symbol of dominion: one world, one ruler, under God,” (224). In this paragraph, three complex, diverse cultures are defined simply in how they look at this particular pattern. The way they define the pattern is an expression of their basic world views. This is just one example of many of how Goodwin boils down these intricate and complex cultures down to simple binaries, making The Bellini Card very much a modern day Orientalist text.
I did not think about how the outside of the book actually sets up the novel to come from an Orientalist point of view. I think that idea really changes the way that I look at it. It is strange because you are expecting to see the eastern culture to be looked at in an inferior way compared to the western culture based on the praise on the cover, but when you actually read it you find that it is quite the opposite. On your point about how Goodwin showed the mixture of the three diverse and complex cultures through the use of the pattern drawn by the calligrapher is brilliant. I found it to be a riveting way of comparing and contrasting cultures through the means of a pattern that was created and used in so many different ways but always came back to the commerce between the cultures.
DeleteI noticed the New York Times' comment on the front of my copy as well and, before I read the novel, I went right in expecting it to portray a very Orientalist view of the East. But after finishing, I came back to the cover and thought about how that comment is ironic. The Bellini Card takes place largely in Venice, not Istanbul. Yes, we see both cities and cultures, but the action, the focus, takes place in Italy. So, the Times says that Goodwin is taking us to the most exotic place on Earth--Italy? I thought that this highlighted the idea of the cultural exchange between the East and the West. I doubt that the Times writer meant Venice when he or she imagined a journey on a magic carpet, but in truth, much of Venice and the West at large has been influenced and stolen culture from that 'exotic' East.
DeleteThe first thing I noticed when I picked up The Bellini Card up was the quote on the front by the New York Times Book Review. It was a very blatant clue that the book would involve a mystic Middle Eastern Country and that would support the orientalist view.
DeleteI, too, was struck by the different depictions of the Middle East by a Western versus an Eastern author. I think these two approaches illustrate the both sides of the orientalist view. One side is dumbfounded by how mystic the culture is, and thus imposes stereotypes onto it and not letting it evolve in their minds; while the other side is feeling the negative effects of those stereotypes. Jason Goodwin is portraying the love for and appreciation of an ancient mystic culture. Tariq Ali and Orhan Pamuk are illustrating the effects of that orientalist umbrella on the actual people of a society and how it inhibits the to be seen as anything other than mystic.
I like how you point out that the authors of the three novels we have read so far come from very different backgrounds: while the first two books we’ve read, Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree and The White Castle, come from Middle Eastern origins, the author of The Bellini Card is British. I agree with you that this is a substantial difference to take into consideration when reading books that primarily focus on the West-East binary.
DeleteHowever, I disagree with your post in that I don’t think The Bellini Card is the only text that has promoted Orientalist perspectives. Personally, I found the Orientalist perspective in both Shadows and The White Castle as well. In The White Castle, the Venetian slave is portrayed as an educated, intelligent Westerner whose sole purpose in living with the Hoja is to teach him, while the Hoja is portrayed as an uneducated Easterner who believes in the existence of a planet between the moon and the Earth even though there is no scientific evidence to support that assumption. The Hoja has to learn “Western” science in order to fulfill his potential as an advisor to the sultan. In Shadows as well, female characters had very little voice within the novel. They were never the narrator of a chapter, and when the Great-Aunt’s story is told, it is through her male relatives, like Umar.
While I agree with you that The Bellini Card offers the reader an Orientalist perspective to some degree, I disagree with the reason. Orhan Pamuk in particular, a Pakastani, presented an Orientalist perspective within his novel as well.
"A magic-carpet ride" I cannot believe that an author from The New York Times, which is a well respected newspaper would use this phrase. This phrase is ignorant and is proving the orientalist ideas that the West sees the east in the light of fantasy. It is ridiculous that someone would write in a review that a book takes you on a magic-carpet ride because that shows how little the reviewer actually knows about the orient. It seems like the only education of the orient that this reviewer has was by watching the film "Aladdin". "Oh in Aladdin they ride carpets places so they must do that in ALL eastern countries" This is a perfect example of how ignorant some Western intellects are of Eastern culture. I am very glad that you brought this up because I have noticed this as well and it made me angry when I first saw it.
DeleteI did not notice the New York Times quote that was included on the cover of The Bellini Card until we read your response in class. I’m sure that the Times meant this comment as a compliment; and obviously the publisher did as well, as it was included on the cover. However, you definitely bring up a good point, that from the very beginning the reader is primed to look at the characters as exotic and different. It’s funny, however, that the majority of the book takes place in Venice. I will infer that “the most exotic place on Earth” still refers to Istanbul, as they preface it (somewhat stereotypically) with the phrase “magic carpet ride”; and the Times is right. In this novel, especially in comparison with Venice, Istanbul is much more exotic and beautiful, and even friendlier, as the Armenians are treated well while the Jews in Venice are exiled to the ghettos.
DeleteJeanne Magnetti
ReplyDeleteThe Bellini Card: Culture and Food
“The Bellini Card” contains an incredible amount of detail about food, so much in fact that this book makes me hungry. The culture of Venice seems to revolve around food, as does the lifestyle of Yashim and Palewski. There are pages of text describing the cuisine that Palewski eats in Venice. When Palewksi samples the food, he compares it to Turkish food. “They had the same particular preferences… for dozens of little dishes like mezes, though the locals called them cicchetti instead, and they were as finicky as any Ottoman about the provenance of certain fruits and vegetables” (34). All of the food imagery serves to compare the two nations and show their cultural similarities. Moreover, the significance of this obsession with food is seen in Inspector Brunelli’s belief that “Venetians [eat] better than anyone else in the world” (100). It is also seen in the relationship between Yashim and Palewski, which revolves around the dinners they share in Palewski’s home. The Venetians and the Turks seem to define themselves by their relationship with food, and this appears to link the two cultures together. For instance, when Yashim is studying Signora Contarini cooking, she is suspicious of Yashim, scoffing at the idea of “the Moor, [stirring] her polenta” (170). However, the tension at the dinner table eases when Yashim cooks dinner and “In a matter of moments everyone was eating and talking all at once” (199). The Cantarini family’s initial wariness of Yashim is dispelled by the realization that they share a similar cultural value of food. This particular value certainly wouldn’t translate in other nations, such as England, Ireland, and Scotland, which Palewski gloomily and correctly associates with “boiled beef and gin” (16).
I think that this is a very good point to make about how food is used as a kind of literary device in the novel. Food seems to symbolize something essentially human: though Venitians, Turks, Englishmen, etc have different ways of preparing food and eat different types of food, the art of cooking and the act of physically eating seems to be something that transcends national boundaries and ultimately comes down to simply be human. I think if we are looking for any kind of deep, human connection that is independent of geography and culture, it is food. Though food can take on many different style and forms, everyone needs to eat, and everyone likes to eat something delicious.
DeleteI agree with your point, that Jason Goodwin uses food as a device throughout The Bellini Card as a way to show his readers the different cultures in Istanbul and Venice. When I was reading the novel, I found it interesting and somewhat surprising that Yashim is able to find so many similarities between the food served in Venice and Istanbul. Being that they are from two different cultures, I thought the food would have more distinct difference in the spices used, etc. I guess there's something innate within humans that forges connections when a group of people sit down to share a meal together.
DeleteI agree that food plays a very important role in the cultural exchanges that take place in the novel. I think this is an interesting concept, because food is something that at once unifies us and sets us apart. Every human being needs to eat, but what we eat varies based on our culture. Food almost seems to be similar to art in this respect. Both Turkey and Venice have rich culinary traditions as well as rich artistic traditions. It is interesting that the Venetians produced the portrait of Mehmet for the Ottomans, and Turkish cuisine finds its way to Venice.
DeleteOne thing I found interesting about The Bellini Card was the importance of language. Although the United States are considered to be a melting pot and we do often have many different languages, English is the accepted language and is most commonly spoken. This presents a problem in the novel since each country has their own language and are in such close proximity to each other. To become a traveler, one must master multiple languages. Yashim shows his intelligence and usefulness in his ability to speak eight languages perfectly. This makes him an invaluable person to the sultan.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, Goodwin shows the drawbacks of those not as cultured. Through the character of Maria, Goodwin demonstrates the difficulty of not understanding. When Palewski runs into his friends from Istanbul, Maria cannot understand what they say until they speak French which she understands a little. This shows the importance of being educated and understanding another culture. Goodwin illustrated the necessity for understanding one another to show the differences between Istanbul and Venice and how they may learn to cooperate.
I definitely agree with you that languages are more important in European and Eastern countries. Most people in the U.S. only speak one language, but the nation is so large that people can travel to places with different cultures and landscapes without leaving the country. Also, we share the continent with a second English speaking nation, and the only other language you would need to know in order to cross North America is Spanish. I know that my cousins in Ireland bounce around to many different countries when they travel, Spain being a popular choice, and one of them picked up the Romanian language while volunteering over the summer. I think that the importance of languages is less fully appreciated by many people in America, because geographically speaking we are so isolated from countries where different languages are spoken.
DeleteJust something to add on to the language of The Bellini Card, there seems to be a grammar of culture that is understood between the two hemispheres. Signifiers like the Turkish hat Palewski is wearing is an easy tip off to the Venetian officials that he is not American at all. They don't know what an American is supposed to look like and yet they just know that a cultural item as seemingly ubiquitous as a Turkish hat would not be worn by Americans. On the other hand, Palewski recognizes the architecture, artwork, food, etc. as similar to the culture he lives in now. So, although spoken and written language is a huge barrier, the semiotics of the two worlds expose a lot about how they perceive each other. What is ironic about it is that the Italians are suspicious of a single article of clothing and yet they are surrounded by that culture in their own city.
Delete-Corey Scibilia
Dia Seskin
ReplyDeleteThe Bellini Card: The Mystery Effect
I found Jason Goodwin’s The Bellini Card, to be an extremely interesting novel exploring the genre of mystery in a self-conscious way. The point of view is set in third person, and yet it creates a sense of self-consciousness through the usage of foreshadowing, imagery, and the character’s overall acknowledgement of the use of performance. From the very start of the novel, one of the main characters Yashim, responds to the notion of the city of Venice as embodying a sense of play or performance. I found this interesting because the book itself is full of numerous extreme characters, all of which represent different aspects of life and culture during this time period. Furthermore, it is ironic that the characters respond to this idea in that the events that happen throughout the novel, are a bit ridiculous as well.
Yashim surprises Palewski at one point in a disguise as a grotesque beggar on the streets of Venice, taking on the identity of another character. On page 166 Palewski recognizes the fact that he had been tricked into believing that he’d come close to purchasing the Bellini painting as he exclaims, “It’s impossible to tell the real from the false”. This distinction between the real and false plays out throughout the entire novel, causing the reader to constantly question what is essentially authentic and what is not. This mask and blurry aspects add to the overall mystery of The Bellini Card, further playing into the depiction of the various cultures described through its many characters.
The ultimate character of the novel, can truly be considered the city of Venice in itself. The city takes on its own personality seeing as it contains the secrets to the Bellini painting, as well as its concealed history. Upon viewing the documentary on Jason Goodwin’s commentary of the novel, it because clear to how fascinated he was with creating these elaborate characters. Throughout The Bellini Card, this becomes undoubtedly highlighted as the characters embody personas across a large spectrum.
Finally, contributing to the mysterious effect of the novel, is the vivid imagery done through foreshadowing and language. The way in which the novel is written is highly descriptive, down to the very color of the center of an onion Yashim chops in half. These images are left to linger within the reader’s mind, clueing them into its final chapters. The description of the patterned tiles was continuously discussed, once again hinting that this image would eventually reappear with great importance towards the ending.
I agree that with Dia that Goodwin uses foreshadowing to contribute to the mysterious effect of the novel. From the very first page the story is told from the perspective of a man about to die, showing the ominous mood of the novel. Goodwin is extremely detailed in portraying the death of this character through the use of imagery. Throughout the novel Goodwin repeats this method of telling the perspective of a man about to die to highlight the mysterious tone. Dia accurately describes how foreshadowing is used to contribute to the mystery and imagery of the novel.
DeleteThe Importance of Food in Culture
ReplyDeleteIn Jason Goodwin's The Bellini Card, there seems to be a weight placed on food and it's representations in culture. In both Istanbul and Venice the reader gets a glimpse of the cuisine enjoyed in each place, and it reveals as many surprising similarities for Palewski as it does differences.
Palewski's first Venetian meal is a polenta with onions and anchovies. Palewski seems to be familiar with polenta, even though it is an Italian dish. This is an example of blending of cultures; not only does Palewski enjoy the polenta dish, but it "put him in a better mood" (24) which describes the incredible effect food can have in times of difficulty (he had just seen the body floating in the canal).
The next significant meal is passed with Ruggerio. Ruggerio makes a comment about the differences in breakfast amongst other cultures; "I know, I know. A pensione breakfast - a little roll, a watery coffee, e basta! Come. I will show you how a man should eat in this city" (Goodwin 30). Following this Palewski and Ruggerio eat a large breakfast consisting of wine, coffee, and "good food" (32) and thus is the introduction to Venetian lifestyle for Palewski. A scene with Brunelli later shows innate Patriotism in the way the Venetians eat; "Like many Venetians, Brunelli believed that Venetians ate better than anyone else in the world" (100).
I absolutely agree and love the point you’ve made about the significance of food as culture throughout The Bellini Card. Along with this, as I read the novel the connection of food reminded me of its use in the other texts we’ve read. Food is used as a way to connect to the reader through the senses into what the characters are doing at that moment in time. I believe that Goodwin has done an excellent job with this, and uses vivid imagery and language to describe the elaborate meals Yashim cooks up. Furthermore, I enjoyed the point you made in describing the difference in cultures between Ruggerio and Palweski. This scene in the novel was a great insight into the differences in cultures, and how luxurious and important meals are in Venice. The emphasis on wine and drinking I felt was highlighted, coinciding with the care-free Venetian depiction of life.
DeleteI found the use of food in the novel to be a key element in painting the differences between cultures. It also showed Yashim's way of releasing himself in a very sensual manner. IT was very interesting to see the different styles of food. I particularly liked the scene where Yashim is cooking in Maria's home and feels slightly out of place with the tools but still manages to get by with what Maria's mother has in her kitchen as well as his knife. He goes into minute detail about each of the ingredients as well as explaining the preparations of the meals he cooks extremely eloquently. It shows that Yashim has a sensual side and his love is for food instead of women. I think that shows how different the cultures can be and how they can intertwine through the use of food. I think food plays a large part in the novels we have read because it is a huge symbol of culture and I like how you pointed out how even though Palewski had not been to Venice before, he still enjoyed the food as if it was the food of his home. That shows how similar the cultures are and how big of a connector food can be between cultures.
DeleteI think that Jason Goodwin is trying to get an idea about the Italian culture and what it is like across in a short amount of time, and to do this he uses something that is dear to the Italian culture which is food. When thinking about the amount of emphasis that food has in this book and its representation in culture, and how the food seemed to put Palewski at ease and times I think of how much effect food can truly have on a person? I come from a Polish and Italian background my Grandmother is a full polish and my grandfather a full Italian. The quote you talk about “Put him in a better mood” (24) reminded me of how my grandmother would make food whenever something bad had happened or when something had gone wrong. She was more prone to cook at these times though I never really understood why because if I had heard or saw something upsetting I would not want to stand in a kitchen and cook but rather lay in my bed. My grandmother would always call these “comfort foods” even though they were things that seemed complicated to make instead of just simple things (which is what I think of when I think of comfort foods). Food is a very big thing in the Italian culture; people use it for all sorts of things which is what we see in this novel. From my experience with my Italian family cuisines are the things that are passed down like traditions, something that you can always expect when you visit family, almost like it is used as a way to keep extended families together and close.
DeleteMedieval Art and Orientalist Representations in The Bellini Card
ReplyDeleteAfter today's lecture on Bellini, it became apparent that the artist's fascination with the Ottoman Empire was not born out of some skewed and exotic picture of the East. Looking at more of his artwork, Bellini put a lot of care into depicting the East just as other Medieval artists had done with the West. Even the portrait of Mehmed the Conqueror is infused with humanity and is a surprisingly modest painting for its subject matter. The point I think Goodwin is trying to make in his history of art between the East and West is in keeping with the histories of the other books we have read. The Medieval era seems to be a point history where relative cohesion and cultural understanding took place between the two hemispheres, which has been recorded in the works of Bellini.
Of course, all good things cannot last. Now that it is 1840 and the West is becoming more and more fascinated at the orientalist spectacle of Turkey, the fight for Bellini's Mehmed intensifies. On one hand the reader gets an image of the Eastern world trying to preserve this painting as an accurate depiction of their world. It not only represents proof that the East is not some exotic and strange place but also that it shares a rich history with the great artists and thinkers of the other world. Abdulmecid might be trying to restore a traditional and eminent image of the Ottoman Empire to help bolster his own politics. Much like the bridge the sultan is building to gain the favor of the city, this portrait would bridge the gap between Mehmed and the new Sultan. (Goodwin 6) Nevertheless, this portrait marks an important part of Turkey's history and would be properly preserved and viewed where it was first constructed.
On the other hand, the reader witnesses the destruction of the West's fantasy of the East. People are murdered in the pursuit of this portrait. Since I haven't finished the book, I'm still not sure if this is for reasons other than the cultural/monetary value of the portrait itself but it seems to be the case that the Venetians want the portrait simply to preserve it and honor its cultural capital. It was around this time that many pieces of art were being produced that would have exoticized the East in order to be a spectacle to European art buyers. Although Mehmed's portrait does not come off as anything but an honest underwhelming depiction of a ruler, Edward Said has proven that Europeans have historically projected their own analysis onto such works of art. Just the fact that his name is Mehmend the Conqueror would have added to the fantasy of a barbaric state.
-Corey Scibilia
Wouldn't it be all the more fascinating if this were a true story? I agree with your last paragraph in regards to adding to the exotic nature of the East; however, I feel slightly different about the purpose of protecting the painting. I believe it holds other economic and philosophic concerns to Venice and Venetian art dealers. Most of the characters in the story are living in a time when Venice as they once knew it has been all but destroyed; ransacked and poverty-stricken they exist by what means they can. Holding onto such a painting by such a famous artist who was Venetian is a symbolic holding on to a culture that has dissipated in many ways. Perhaps this brings to question the difference between Bellini as a national symbol of Venetian artistry and the painting of Mehmed as being distinctly of Turkish origin. From this perspective, who should own it? It is a question of nationalism that is perhaps too complex for a clear answer.
DeleteI like your interpretation of each side's fight over the portrait; it's all about perspective (no pun intended) because art especially is open to interpretation. After reading this and discussing it briefly, I started to wonder why cultures insist on stealing from another? I understand it on a purely egotistic stance: if you think your culture is the best, you want to pass off every positive and impressive invention, piece of art, or delicious dish as your own. But when it comes down to Britain possessing something clearly Indian or, as in the novel, the fight over a piece of artwork with clear origins and subject matter, why would one culture continue to hold on to something that is not their own? Why do Americans put on exhibits oh Iraqi art when it seems like we don't even appreciate that culture anyway?
DeleteI'm not sure about the answer, but it seems like something to consider. Does it stem from imperialistic ideals? To possess a culture is to dominate it? Because clearly, artifacts and the like mean more to the culture which produced it than any outsider.
Venice: Orientalist Ideals in the West
ReplyDeleteBy Kristen Fisher
When reading the mystery novel, The Bellini Card by British author Jason Goodwin I was struck most by the many ways in which Venice was described. The Italian city is the primary setting of the novel and prior to reading it I pictured Venice as the iconic city it is today with its beautiful canals and piazzas. Yet, Goodwin includes scenes depicting 19th century Venice in a very different light; it is quite similar to Istanbul and the Eastern world, but in a much more depleted way with a corrupt government and rampant poverty. What stood out to me the most was the amount of Orientalism highlighted within the city of Venice, in both descriptions and conversations had by the many characters throughout the novel. Goodwin looks to stress the extent to which Venice was based off of the East, but focuses simply on stereotypical understandings of Islam and the Eastern world.
In the early sections of the novel when Palewski first arrives in Venice, he is struck by the cultural similarities of Istanbul, a city he is quite familiar with. When he mentions this to Barbieri, it is boasted upon that Venice forcefully took many items directly from Istanbul including reference libraries, marbles and statues (53). The idea of stealing Eastern culture to make it better is proudly highlighted by many of the Italian characters; as Barbieri himself explains, “Venice, of course, is Istanbul” (53). This quote reveals that Eastern worlds were never truly respected by other areas and people across the world. Despite Eastern achievements, the West would rather steal than respect the advanced culture of the Eastern worlds. Another explicit Orientalist idea highlighted in the novel is the concept of the “harem” that we discussed in class today. For example, Palewski invites women over to distract his Western colleagues with sex and describes to his fellow men that Venice is a city characterized by the idea of “the Arabian nights reborn” (106). Having taken much from the East, the Western characters highlight that even the sexual culture of Istanbul has been taken and re-applied as a foreign pleasure for the enjoyment of Westerners.
These instances of Western Orientalist mindsets are found throughout The Bellini Card. It seems to me that Jason Goodwin did not recognize some of the stereotypical concepts he was applying to his understanding of the Ottoman Empire and Venice in the 19th century, yet as a British writer he could not help but look at this historical city through a Western perspective. This novel helped me to once again recognize that the subtle assumptions we have come to believe about foreign lands, many of those in the Eastern world, are indeed incorrect and that we need to stop automatically applying these to truly change our understanding of the ‘other.’
I totally agree that it sounds like what Goodwin ends up doing to Venice is portraying Venice as a corrupt version of Istanbul. As Professor Akman mentioned, there is definitely this reversal of orientalist discourse going on throughout the book. What could be problematic in looking at it this way could be to conclude that the influence of the East had a deleterious affect on the West. Obviously, this is not true, but Goodwin's sensibilities seem to be ambivalent enough to allow uninformed readers to interpret it in this way. Really, they should be focusing on the West's inherent problems.
DeleteThis was a really thoughtful and well-written response. You are right to point out that the way Goodwin describes the setting in Venice is a lot less magnificent than a reader from the Western world might expect. The stereotypical western perspective of the 'other' is characterized very negatively and is often associated with primitiveness. However Paleswski does not seem impressed himself with Venice after having lived in Istanbul. In Palewski's first impression of Venice, he mentions seeing a peasant on the street in a heap of rags, and there is a lot of discussion about Ruggerio's poverty as well. Barbieri's notion that Venice is a replica of Istanbul based on all of the stolen and borrowed cultural and artistic influences also goes further to create a unanticipated perspective of the Western world during this time period. The way the West borrows Eastern traditions is also nicely demonstrated by the idea of the harem, as you described. I completely agree with you when you say that "...the Western characters highlight that even the sexual culture of Istanbul has been taken and re-applied as a foreign pleasure for the enjoyment of Westerners." The Western idea of the harem is translated incorrectly into Western culture and becomes a "foreign pleasure". Wonderful blog response!
DeleteA gender role is something that was and I believe something that is still very prevalent no matter where you are. In The Bellini Card by Jason Goodwin the ideas of gender roles are presented and accounted for. When reading The Bellini Card I did not catch the fact that this section brought in the different ideas of gender roles. The question on the discussion sheet made me go back and further examine the passage which starts on page 92. Two quotes on this page seems to really stand out to me these being "...touching them with her strong fingers” and “A calligrapher’s fingers: she had her father’s hands.” To me these both seem to be instances where this lady is given qualities that are most closely associated with a male. I thought it was interesting that Jason Goodwin would describe her fingers as being somewhat manly very much like her father’s instead of them being described and light and delicate but still able to do the harsh work that her father did. Looking around this room Yashim could not tell the difference between her father’s works and her own therefore he could not decipher whose did what. Goodwin then goes on to say on that same page that Meliha had equaled that of her father. Yashmin seemed to very surprised in a way at this, did he think that a daughter couldn’t draw as good as her own father even if she was brought up doing it? In this passage they were talking about the father’s work therefore it can be assumed that by saying she equaled him Goodwin means she equaled him in her skill, but is it possible that he could mean it in a different way?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this blog response reflecting on gender roles in The Bellini Card because it brings up questions that force the reader to attempt to fully understand what Jason Goodwin was looking to argue and men and women in 19th century Istanbul. When I was reading this part of the novel I only was struck by the concept that women were not supposed to be the one copying to Koran and was intrigued to find that a woman was rebelling by doing her father’s job. Yet I also questioned whether or not she was doing this solely to be a loyal daughter or if she was challenging a female’s place. I did not catch the references to her hands and how Goodwin specifically chose to describe her hands with a more masculine tone. If anything I think this could reflect upon the fact that Meliha had been doing this for years and that her father had always expected her to follow on with family tradition despite gendered restrictions. Overall, I find this an interesting challenge to a novel that seems somewhat steeped in the Orientalist tradition. Jason Goodwin reveals a more progressive take towards expectations of men and women despite his desire to submit to stereotypical Eastern beliefs.
DeleteI agree with the author of this blog response that gender roles are always prevalent in literature. I found myself wondering whether this showed a more progressive stance towards gender roles or if it was steadfast in the conservative expectations of women. I believe that Goodwin was trying to show women in a positive light that challenged the expectations of women. The Contessa showed a strong, capable woman who was able to hold her own against a man like Palewski. Maria is shown saving Palewski from the police and giving him an alibi to protect him. I agree with my classmates that Goodwin was showing a more progressive viewpoint of the expectations of men and women.
DeleteI do agree whole heartedly with your analysis of how Goodwin depicts her hands as being manly, as if they would have to hold something true to men in order to be good at the work Meliha does. When I read this passage I had a different reaction; I was under the impression that it was forbidden for women to transcribe the Qur’an, thus the line “’Is it forbidden,’ he asked slowly, ‘for a woman to transcribe the word of God, when she does it as well as any man?’” (92). Upon reading this I initially reacted in agitation; of course a British author is going to talk about the ways in which Islamic women are once again depicted as oppressed. After thinking about it again I realized, is this not like any European culture at the time? There were also jobs that were held strictly for men such as doctors or lawyers. Often women at this time upheld typical roles that we see in the Middle East as being oppressive or degrading; staying chaste, getting married, raising children. While I wish Goodwin would have elaborated more on this parallelism between Europe and the Middle East at this time, I also think the fact that he includes this scene at all is thought provoking for this subject. Meliha is working in secret, much like how many women have had to work throughout all of history, such as how women have disguised themselves as men in order to fight in wars.
DeleteI have never been out of the United States except for a short trip to Canada about ten years ago with my family. If I had the opportunity to go somewhere, visiting Venice was definitely one of my top picks. Waterways for roads was a concept that fascinated me; seemed in some ways too good to be true. Upon reflection now, I see how the bright overtones of my visualization are a bit of a mirage. Like any other city it possesses the darker undertones and complex issues, rather than the mirage of a utopia I had envisioned in my dreams. Above everything else, the novel reminded me that a city is a city, with all the good elements and the ugly elements mixed into a stew of humanity.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to the realistic reminder, the style in which the novel was written is refreshing. The intense scenes are all packed into sometimes very short chapters which induce a quick read and an instant attention-grabbing quality. The shifts in viewpoint and narration that occur simultaneously with the chapter changes add complexity to the plot and an added investment of interest from the reader.
I would also love to visit Venice, much like you haven’t been anywhere but Canada. I have also always had this image in my head of Venice, how beautiful it would be to see with all the waterways. I have never really thought about the fact that it might have flaws. I think that this novel becomes so much more complex as well as the characters becoming so much more complex because of the fact the chapters are so short compared to the other books we have read so far in this class. Since the chapters are so short details cannot really being given therefore we cannot learn about the different characters in this book as in depth as I would like. This could also be why this is considered a mystery novel, kind of like a mystery TV show or movie they tend to keep the scenes short, and do not provide much detail until they end when they realize what happened/ who killed the person (if that it was kind of movie it is). This is used to not only grab the attention of the reader/watcher but to keep their attention as well because you are always learning something new and you want to find out how the mystery ends.
DeleteI definitely agree that Goodwin’s choice to depict Venice in the way that he did, went against my original dream-like vision of the acclaimed city. I did however enjoy the way in which he utilized the description and character of the city, in that it in a way mimicked the events of the story. The story itself was a mystery, and the city of Venice acted in this way as well. The trick doors, crumbling buildings, along with the elaborate water ways, undoubtedly added to the overall effect of the novel. This brings the light the fact that this city is truly a city, one full of mystery and an unsteady history. In addition to this, I feel that the shifts in viewpoints further added to this, working simultaneously with the winding streets of Venice. I happened to like the way in which each chapter worked to depict a different character’s persona, although it took a few chapters to get fully acquainted with this style of writing.
DeleteI agree that it is certainly easy to romanticize the atmosphere and cultures of foreign cities such as Venice, especially if you have never been there. I am just as guilty of similar assumptions about places I want to visit. Although Orientalism and the glorification of other cities and cultures can be obviously detected in the media and literature we read, it is often more difficult to recognize it in ourselves. In my lit theory class we discussed the formalist idea that the purpose of art is to defamiliarize the world around us so that we pay more attention and experience it more fully. I think this is partially why it is so easy to fall into the Orientalist trap of wanting to go to "exotic" places. We are drawn to them because, even though at there core they are the same as any other community, they are just different enough to defamiliarize the aspects of daily life we usually ignore in a way that makes the mundane seem exciting again. For example, driving cars can be boring, but replace the roads with canals and gondolas and suddenly transportation is experienced as if for the first time. In reality, though, all cities have their strong points and their faults.
DeleteWhen I experienced any art I was unable to figure out what was Good art or Bad art. When I saw a movie with people, they would leave it with comments like “Oh I hated that Film” or “Oh that was Great”. I didn’t really get what made art good or bad. So while reading this book I realized a couple things that I have never realized before. I realized that I did not enjoy reading the book, and I felt extremely unsatisfied.
ReplyDeleteAt the surface entertainment is what should judge a piece of art. While I was reading I felt unsatisfied and annoyed with the progression of the plot. With the short chapters lasting from a page long to at most two pages. This really made reading the book disjointed. Every time the plot would get going it would stop by how short the chapters were. It made me feel like the author had an attention problem. One moment you are totally invested in a scene and then bam, you are taken away and left feeling unsatisfied. The ending was also confusing and not satisfying either. This at the surface was a real sign that told me that this book was not that well done.
When you look deeply into why this book bad, it hit me when I started to research more about how the author Jason Goodwin wrote the book. He would generally start writing without any idea of how the book was going to end. This is a terrible way to write books, you start the book with many questions and while you are writing this you as the author does not even know the answer. While talking to Professor Akman he agreed that this is a terrible way to write books. It makes the ending unsatisfying and not what it was built up to be.
Goodwin also states that he “walked” from Poland to Istanbul, and for some reason in his head he believes that this justifies his reasons for being able to write about the Orient. I am happy I was able to read this book and see reason of why things are labeled “bad”. I think in order to better ones own work one should read how bad work is created, just as one should look to good work.
In my critical analysis class, we have been talking about the history of the short story and how culture has a pull and influence on how literature evolves. The short story came into being with the rise of the middle class. About the same time in history, books became more affordable and literacy was on the rise. However, the people of the middle class could not devote hours to study of books like the wealthy of older or ancient times could. As a result, there was a market for the shorter story because it fit in with the lives of the daily routines and busy schedules.
DeleteThe literary style of the short chapters with multiple viewpoints came into being along similar cultural lines; short chapters allowed for easy stop-points when reading. Multiple viewpoints added interest and layering to the novel that a short story does not have the space to develop. As a result, looking at the probable targeted audience, I believe that the novel was more constructed to be an easy read and a fast-seller then a work of literary wonder.
I appreciated the short chapters because of my limited time and busy days. The multiple viewpoints and chopped plot-line forced me to remember details, however it also made it easy to forget details.
All of this aside, novels written in this style are difficult to write.
Additionally, unless you have a direct quote from the author stating that he did not have any end destination in mind and that he did so out of laziness rather then his preferred writing method, to put words into his mouth would be considered a literary fallacy on the part of the reader.
Personally, I had a similar opinion of the book as you did, Brian, but for very different reasons. I do not think writing without an ending in mind is a bad way to go. It can, in many ways, be better, allowing the author to, in the moment, realistically figure out what a particular character will do, and avoid making the narrative feel too contrived. As well, many popular authors, such as Stephen King, write like this, and while how good they are is up for debate, you cannot deny that they are popular. It is simply another way of writing, and don't forget that the book doesn't go straight to publishing from this point. The author must still go back and edit, and that is his or her opportunity to answer those unanswered questions, and to more finely mold the rough draft of the novel.
DeleteWhere I do agree with you is that Goodwin's research is lacking. Goodwin uses gaps in the historical record to create a sense of conspiracy and intrigue much like Dan Brown's novels. He also inevitably resorts to Orientalism, or, as Professor Akman said, "reverse-Orientalism." It's almost an apologetic type of historical fiction, as though Goodwin (along with other similar authors) is saying, "We've been really terrible to other cultures, but really, they're great and we're the terrible ones." This type of thinking similarly does a disservice to readers, because it continues to divide the East and West into polarized caricatures of what they really are, and makes the idea of unifying them as concepts impossible.
Venice and Istanbul
ReplyDeleteIn the reading of The White Castle, by Orham Pamuk, the city of Venice is described as an idol of intellectual and artistic importance to the rest of the Mediterranean, especially those considered to be of the East. In contrast, Istanbul is described as meekly trying to imitate the wonders of Venice. Interestingly enough, in The Bellini Card, by Jason Goodwin, the cities are portrayed in a very different way. Instead of Venice lending its culture and influencing Istanbul in a powerful way, it is described how Venice is dependent on Istanbul not only for cultural influence, but for the existence of the cities wealth.
The first hint in the Bellini Card about the degradation of Venice from its former glory comes from the first line from Palewski upon arriving in Venice, “So this is Venice,” Palewski muttered, shading his eyes against the shards of sunlight bouncing off the sea. “How ghastly.”(Chapter 7). It is important to note that Palewski feigns to be an American while in Venice to avoid Austrian officials. This Austrian interference in Venice, at this point in the story said to be 30 years since it started, cut off trade and connections between Venice and Istanbul. From Palewski’s observation of the Ottoman style trade house once inhabited by frequent traders from Istanbul, it can be assumed trade was beneficial for both parties. When Venice loses much of its contact with the Ottomans due to the Austrians, it described how dilapidated and unused much of Venice became.
It seems that the stop in the exchange between Venice and Istanbul only hurts Venice. Aside from the wealth that can be accumulated from trade, much of Venetian culture seems derived from the Ottomans. Palewski mentions how he thought the Italians must have learned how to cook from the Ottomans, because the food and style of preparation, like how to cook rice for risotto, are characteristic of eastern cuisine. Palewski also notes that the architecture reminds him an awful lot of eastern styles. Perhaps it is symbolic of the break between Venice and Istanbul, but many of the buildings described as eastern are in a horrible state of disrepair: “… nor did she appreciate the Byzantine architecture of the old palace, built in the twelfth century in the fashionable Eastern style. What interested her… were ratholes and rubbish heaps, scraps of wood, paper, and old fabric that cluttered the corners, areas of greenish damp and fallen plaster…”(Chapter 22).
If food and architecture are cues to the culture of a people, then Venice is heavily influenced by Istanbul. This could also be why Venice is described in such a negative way in the novel, because it no longer had ties with the source of its own culture.
This is a very interesting idea. I agree with your ideas on how Istanbul greatly influenced Venice culturally. I think it it is also very important to talk about how Goodwin is from Great Britain (The West) and Orhan Pamuk is from Turkey (The East) yet their ideas of Venice and Istanbul are completely opposite. Pamuk believes that Venice was a source or intellect when Goodwin states that Venice is a decaying city that sits on the culture given to them by the Turks. This is very ironic and interesting that the author representing the west is quick to jump on the west as being culturally reliant, and decaying in contrast to Istanbul which still thrives. This idea is interesting and confusion, I don't get why Goodwin did this.
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ReplyDeleteI have to admit, when I first read the back cover of The Bellini Card and saw that Yashim was described as a eunuch almost immediately, I automatically assumed that Jason Goodwin was going to use this fact to paint the Ottoman Empire in a bad light. The act of forced castration seems near barbaric in present day America, and it would be easy for him to highlight this and portray the Ottoman Empire negatively; often, cultural disparities like these are used to emphasize the differences between the East and the West. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that although Yashim is known as a eunuch, he is more importantly known as an intelligent and important detective. Instead of easily playing on the East v. West dichotomy, he uses an archetypal Orientalist stereotype and uses it to show that Ottomans are not any less academic than the West.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the fact that Yashim is a eunuch makes him the perfect detective. Of course he was born with his curiosity and ingenuity; but being a eunuch gives him much more privelage and access than normal men of that time period. For example, he is able to come and go from the Harem, which was a higher education institution of sorts for young women, teaching them sophistication, social sciences, art, etc. While it is meant for women only, Yashim is not a threat because of his eunuch status. It is also assumed that he will not be tempted by beautiful women, so the sultan can send him to different countries and on different missions without worrying about his focus wavering. Instead of turning his castration into a lifetime of misery, Goodwin focuses on the positives of Yashim’s status.
This response to the characterization of Yashim throughout The Bellini Card is a well-written response and summarizes similar thoughts I also had while reading the novel. Because Jason Goodwin is the first author we have read that does not have roots in the Eastern half of the world, the decision to have his main character be a eunuch struck me as a very typical Orientalist move when I first began to read the novel. Yet, Yashim’s status as a eunuch is not central to the plot of the novel or reiterated again and again. Instead of being disabled in his abilities, Yashim utilizes his status to gain the full extent of his education and to become focused upon solving mysteries and assisting the sultan. I agree that this makes him the perfect detective and as we talked about in class the other day, makes him more similar to the famous European detectives of the past like Sherlock Holmes. I can only wonder what would have happened if Goodwin had written this story without Yashim as a eunuch and wonder what other possible Eastern stereotypes he may have possibly applied to his male lead. Looking back at the novel as a whole I wonder if the story would have been filled with more romantic scenes and relationships and if Yashim would have been the same smart and clever detective. Goodwin’s decision to create a eunuch character allowed him to simultaneously create a character that fits into the classic detective format as well as feed into the Western need for some stereotypical aspects of the Eastern world.
DeleteThe idea of a eunuch is barbaric, no doubt, and just like you I was surprised by the angle Jason Goodwin looks at eunuches. Expecting some story involving the Muslim’s turning Yashim into a eunuch for their own purposes, it is, if not pleasant, enlightening to know that that such a sorry fate befell Yashim at a young age by foreign criminals.
DeleteI also agree that being a eunuch is beneficial to Yashim and his detective work, as you stated it allows him to go places other men could not. Whether being a eunuch prevented bonding with the opposite sex, it seems that Yashim became very attached to Carla in Venice. The text was not clear as to the extent of their relationship, but it seems the bond Yashim had with Carla (the bond in part because of being a Eunuch) inevitably helped Yashim solve the mystery.
DeleteI agree that Yashim’s eunuch status is an advantage for his work. I have read a few of the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming, and it is as if he is entrusting the fate of the world to a fourteen year old boy. There is a blatant lack of tradecraft and a level of absurdity in which it seems a miracle that the protagonist ever accomplishes anything. The only reason that his character isn’t killed in every single novel is because of the ridiculous blundering of the comical villains, whose attempts at horrifying evil are actually poorly strategized and easily countered. Yashim, on the other hand, is clearly highly intelligent and highly capable. He makes great use of disguises, rather than waltzing into dangerous situation and announcing his detective status to all his enemies, in the way that James Bond so theatrically introduces himself. Yashim displays a great deal of cleverness in his deductions and rationality in dealing with situations. I like the way that Jason Goodwin uses a negative stereotype about the middle east to create a hero.
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ReplyDeleteCreating a Mystic Istanbul
ReplyDeleteIn the video we watched about Goodwin’s vision of Istanbul he expressed how mystified he was by Istanbul and how he fell in love it. Throughout his novel I believe he truly tries to convey that love for the country and in by doing so allows the reader to become part of the mystic classical interpretation of a Middle Eastern Country.Goodwin communicates this feeling through food.
There is a great deal of cultural expression in food. We find the greatest pleasure in the preparation, consumption and distribution of food that speaks volumes of our culture and therefore reflects upon us. What better medium to use to draw the reader into the exotic world of the Middle East than by luring us in with spices, unfamiliar colors, mysterious smells and fantastic dishes?
We are shown a window into Goodwin’s mystic Istanbul through Yashim’s cooking and Goodwin’s description of the scene. Yashim “…set a pan on the coals, slopped in a gurgle of oil, and dropped in the finely chopped onion. He reached into a crock for two handfuls of rice. He cut the herbs small and scraped them into the rice with the blade” (64). The sights and sounds from this scene are quite poetic and evoke a very rich emotion from the reader and calls upon their senses to fill in the blanks and make the scene even more full and exotic. From the use of coal, a very archaic way of cooking, to the scooping, not measuring, of rice out of it's resting place the mystic cook intensifies the exotic feel of Istanbul. There are many scenes through out the book in which Goodwin depicts rich foods as when Yashim went to visit Yamaluk and sees the “pots of rosemary and sage against the whitewashed walls and a lemon tree” (90) and again when he is in Venice and he “fried slices of aubergine in oil… peeled and chopped a few cloves of garlic… threw in a big pinch of cinnamon, a bunch of torn basil and the tomatoes” (192).
So what does this say about orientalism? It really isn’t perpetuating a bad stereotype of the Middle East, however, it is fueling the exotic and mystic ideal of the region which then leads to the understanding that they, as one identity, is still set back in time and is a wondrous Arabia sizzling with intrigue, adventure and mystery. Taking the reader on, according to the New York Times Book Review, “a magic-carpet ride to the most exotic place on Earth.”
I definitely agree when you say that “there is a great deal of cultural expression in food.” Not only that, but many cultures are seemingly defined by their food; for example, when I think of Italy I automatically think of pizza, and the same goes for the U.K. and fish and chips. It was a unique choice for Goodwin to try and recreate the Ottoman atmosphere by describing the food in such luxurious detail, yet it was a choice that ultimately worked out well in the end. I would say that focusing on the food certainly does not put the East in any sort of negative light; if anything, it brings Istanbul alive for the reader. At first I didn’t see anything wrong with this image, but I’ll admit that, as you say in the last paragraph, it demonstrates an East that is exotic and mystic, and although the novel is set in the 1800s it almost perpetuates the notion that the East hasn’t changed.
DeleteAll of the dishes described in this book are pretty foreign to the typical American reader. I like that you question what are Jason Goodwin's motives in going to great pains to describe the food? Is he trying to emphasize how different these cultures are from our own by describing in detail these exotic, luxurious dishes? In some sense I feel that Goodwin just really likes food and is engaging in some sort of weird self-gratifying pleasure in describing the meals so much, and I found myself just skimming through those sections because I didn't really care how much garlic Yashim was cutting up. On the other hand I get the sense that food is a humanizing source for Goodwin, and that in describing how people eat he is pointing out how alike all people are in their need for food and desire to eat well.
DeleteI agree that how Istanbul is orientalized by Jason Goodwin’s text is not that bad on the scale of things; instead of being demonized as different and frightening, he uses food to show some of the unknown intrigue of the east in an accessible way. You noted how the way Yashim cooks is almost poetic, and this description of cuisine seems to be very open and inviting. It seems that cuisine is something that is very accessible for other cultures, and in this way Jason Goodwin, as you’ve said, lets us look into at least some of Istanbul’s culture.
DeleteThe Eunuch
ReplyDeleteIn class today, we talked a bit about the misconceptions surrounding eunuchs. Perhaps the main misconception about eunuchs is that the practice of castration was solely of Islamic origin. Jason Goodwin, author of The Bellini Card, seems to fulfill the Orientalist perspective of Islam by creating the main protagonist of his novel, a Muslim native to Istanbul, a eunuch.
However, after realizing what exactly an eunuch was (I’d never actually heard the term before), I immediately thought back to a basic Music History class I took last year. During the Baroque era of music, roughly around 1600 to 1750, prepubescent boys were oftentimes castrated. Because the Roman Catholic Church forbid women from singing in the church choir during this time period, young boys and castrated men became the high-pitched soprano voices of the church and opera. Boys from poor families were usually transformed into castrati in the hopes that they would become famous singers and be able to help support their families.
What I found most interesting about this comparison was the reasons behind castration in both cultures. While in the West, namely Italy, castration was performed on young boys so that they might provide musical service to the church (and thus their religion), most eunuchs in the Ottoman Empire were castrated for service to the sultan and the government ruling the empire. Thus, although many people relate the origination of the eunuch with Islam and the Middle Eastern culture, the Catholic Church popularly castrated boys centuries before Yashim’s lifetime in The Bellini Card. Additionally, many of the eunuchs who served in the Ottoman Empire were imported by slave traders from either Africa or the Balkans area of Europe—both Christian-dominated places.
I particularly appreciated this response especially because it delves into the history of castratis and baroque music as an example of where eunuchs existed commonly in Western history. Yashim's status as a eunich to the sultan can be compared to the status of eunichs in the Roman Catholic church in that they were both castrated to improve their performance and service to society.This is yet another example of how the West and the East mirror each other in the time period this novel is set in. Really interesting research!
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