Research Blog #7 - theoretical frame

 

A theoretical frame I am using for my paper is the idea that the portrayal of Egypt in modern day minds and media is altered in a sense that the qualities of Ancient Egypt have merged into the modern day culture of Egypt, due to the orientalist portrayal of many Egyptian ideas, when in reality, much of Ancient Egypt's culture has since shifted and changed. In the Mummy on the Screen by Basil Glynn, this notion is addressed. Glynn talks about how the portrayal of Egypt is not true to its modern day culture. Another book that addresses similar ideas is Orientalism by Edward Said. In this book Said mentions how Britain and different countries believed that Egypt itself was incapable of handling its own affairs and land, and therefore led to the craze or researchers in Egypt, further generating more interest and hype around the discoveries of Ancient Egyptian Artifacts such as the Coffin Texts and Mummies. This in turn led to orientalism in the portrayal of these discoveries, most seen in movies. This leads to the idea that the orientalist portrayal of the Ancient Egyptian discoveries, fueled by the foreign reign on Egypt, led to the westernization and alteration of Egyptian culture in the minds of westerners.

    Furthermore, Glynn talks about the evolution of the mummy throughout western cinema and how the Mummy was portrayed in an exaggerated manner to better market to westerners.