TAYEB SALIH, Season of Migration to the North: Orientalist Archetypes as Colonial Desire

This episode will focus on Tayeb Salih’s Season of Migration to the North to argue that the novel demonstrates the interplay between orientalist archetypes and colonial desire. However, unlike what we find in Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks, Mustafa Sa’eed deliberates encourages being seen via such archetypes so that he can activate sexual desire in the many white women he takes to his bed in London. This continues until he meets his wife Jean Morris, who, rather than continue with the interplay of orientalist archetypes, completely abrogates them in favor of that tragic figure of Othello via which she seeks to provoke in Mustafa both jealousy and desire. He ends up strangling her on their marriage bed but is not bold enough to take his own life, thus only partially fulfilling the tragic morphology of the Othello archetype and thus living to regret his failure for the rest of his days.
+++++++++++++
Follow on:
Twitter: / criticreading
Facebook: / criticreadin. .
Instagram: / critic.read. .
+++++++++++++
Related Videos:
FRANTZ FANON, Black Skin, White Masks and the Black Bodily Schema: • FRANTZ FANON, Black Sk...
SHAKESPEARE's Othello and the Question of Race: • SHAKESPEARE's Othello:...

[@sunflowerbadger]

That was wonderful, thank you. I've just read this book and now I want to read it again. I wish you had spent some extra time on the imagery of the narrator's world and the dynamics of his home village and his life as a civil servant. ❤❤❤
Oh, and now I need to see Othello too😂

[@muhammadijaz5982]

Yours is incredibly profound, enriching and enlightening analysis Sir. The refrences are unique. The quality of presentation is incredible❤But
Volume is little low.

[@anshak2]

Prof, this is incredible. Thank you so much.

[@Razgrizzle27]

I've got an essay which I haven't started, due in 14 hours, this has been a big help!

[@hinayasir501]

Thankyou so much sir for this wholesome lecture on such a dense novella. 👍🏻

[@CriticReadingWriting]

Thanks, Hina. Much appreciated.

[@brokenegg4714]

Just finished the book. Thank you for the clear perspective.

[@Kxmberly_tsitsi]

Recently found your channel and you are incredibly helpful! I am currently doing a university module on Postcolonial literature and videos like this have helped me properly dissect texts similar to this one. Many thanks!

[@CriticReadingWriting]

Hi Kim, glad that my videos have been of help. Hopefully, you will develop even further interest in Postcolonial literature.

[@raisa_cherry35]

Love this discussion which is thorough and easy to grasp,super helpful thank you very much sir 💗👏

[@CriticReadingWriting]

Thank you, Raisa!

[@ronaldotto534]

Abdur Rahman Khan the man with quotes for everything :)

[@aminahmed2189]

Thank you so much Professor Quayson for this great assessment of my favourite novel.
I have read it more than once and every time I discover new meanings to it, and your take on it was definitely great. I would have loved to know your take of his references to colonialism when he was on trial, and his high opinion of the Narrator's grandfather .
The one downside I find is that the translated version is unfortunately 'not-relatable' in some instances, such as the casual conversations the elderly have with each other, but a minor blimp in an otherwise amazing piece of work.
Thank you again for your take, and best of luck.

[@CriticReadingWriting]

Hi Ahmed, I am glad you liked the episode. Season of Migration to the North is also one of my favorite novels of all time. It has so many layers and rewards you with different meanings no matter how often you read it.

[@gladysagyeiwaadenkyi-manie3691]

A bit abstract, but worth listening. Thanks alot. Prof.

[@CriticReadingWriting]

Hi Gladys, I can see why this would come across as abstract. The novel is so rich and complex that it requires slow and steady reading. Hopefully, the episode will help you understand the novel better if you re-read it with the discussion in mind. Let me know if you have any luck.

[@mohamadalshbli6317]

Fantastic

[@andrewyhui1]

thanks for this very enlightening lecture! I'm teaching this novel next week and it's helped with my prep.
Prof. Quayson - what do you make of the character of Hosna Bint Mahmoud? In what ways might she be the only female in the novel who can claim some agency and selfhood precisely because she is as crude as the other misogynist males in the deeply patriarchal village? That is, she can trash-talk and tell ribald stories of her sexual escapades just like one of the old boys.
I'm also interested in the imageries of trees as well as the affection the narrator has for his grandfather.

[@CriticReadingWriting]

Hosna bint Mahmoud was Mustafa Sa'eed's wife. The woman you are asking about is Bint Majzoub, a different character altogether.

[@andrewyhui1]

@@CriticReadingWriting oops sorry, I meant Bint Majzoub!