Now that I’ve read Orientalism (twice) I realize I had to find the right way of reading this book. And that way was not to read every single solitary word. I got too bogged down and couldn’t figure out what the heck Said was trying to say. The second time around, I looked for key points and I wrote a summary after each section. That did the trick. Not only did it help me get a better handle on what was going on, it helped me determine the shape of Said’s argument in Orientalism.

So I’m grateful to Orientalism, because I think it helped me figure out how to read the rest of the literary theory and secondary source material for my comprehensive exams.