Call it Romantic, Victorian, or whatever, the period marked by European ascendancy is not known for its vigorous defense of the ideals it set out to establish and solidify. To the eye of the unforgiving Eastern intellectual, this lack of vigor is nothing short of racism; objectification of other peoples, disinformation, and misinformation about these subject peoples were after all the result of wilful state policies. Hence is Jane AUSTEN's inability to explore the Mother TERESA inside herself.
That's why, I believe, we should try to listen to each other's story more patiently, with an open heart and a clean mind. After all, it probably was not such romantic times for some!
For this reason, Edward SAID's book provides a wonderful challenge for Western readers... I, as a Turk squeezed between these artificial plates of bigotry, found a lot in it.