“Strange Beasts… in taste Chinese” : Le goût chinois dans l’Angleterre du XVIIIe siècle ou l’esthétique de l’étrange

The wonders and riches of China brought back to England by the East Indiamen at the end of the 17th century and in the 18th century triggered a deep interest for things Chinese. Indeed, England was hit by the Chinese taste in the decorative arts, emblematised by the playful chinoiserie style. This t...

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Main Author: Vanessa Alayrac
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Presses universitaires de Rennes 2006-01-01
Series:Revue LISA
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/876
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author Vanessa Alayrac
author_facet Vanessa Alayrac
author_sort Vanessa Alayrac
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description The wonders and riches of China brought back to England by the East Indiamen at the end of the 17th century and in the 18th century triggered a deep interest for things Chinese. Indeed, England was hit by the Chinese taste in the decorative arts, emblematised by the playful chinoiserie style. This taste nonetheless evolved during the 18th century, and although it remained very popular throughout the period, it underwent some sharp criticisms. What was the nature of the English reception of this style? Why was it so welcomed, and at the same time seen so suspicious? This paper explores the ambivalence which lay in the reception of the Chinese style, and examines what was perceived as the lure and threat of Chinese exoticism through the concepts of strangeness and foreignness.
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spelling doaj-art-21478c4fee5a4dff9c01ce2cbcf9113c2025-01-06T09:02:10ZengPresses universitaires de RennesRevue LISA1762-61532006-01-0110.4000/lisa.876“Strange Beasts… in taste Chinese” : Le goût chinois dans l’Angleterre du XVIIIe siècle ou l’esthétique de l’étrangeVanessa AlayracThe wonders and riches of China brought back to England by the East Indiamen at the end of the 17th century and in the 18th century triggered a deep interest for things Chinese. Indeed, England was hit by the Chinese taste in the decorative arts, emblematised by the playful chinoiserie style. This taste nonetheless evolved during the 18th century, and although it remained very popular throughout the period, it underwent some sharp criticisms. What was the nature of the English reception of this style? Why was it so welcomed, and at the same time seen so suspicious? This paper explores the ambivalence which lay in the reception of the Chinese style, and examines what was perceived as the lure and threat of Chinese exoticism through the concepts of strangeness and foreignness.https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/876
spellingShingle Vanessa Alayrac
“Strange Beasts… in taste Chinese” : Le goût chinois dans l’Angleterre du XVIIIe siècle ou l’esthétique de l’étrange
Revue LISA
title “Strange Beasts… in taste Chinese” : Le goût chinois dans l’Angleterre du XVIIIe siècle ou l’esthétique de l’étrange
title_full “Strange Beasts… in taste Chinese” : Le goût chinois dans l’Angleterre du XVIIIe siècle ou l’esthétique de l’étrange
title_fullStr “Strange Beasts… in taste Chinese” : Le goût chinois dans l’Angleterre du XVIIIe siècle ou l’esthétique de l’étrange
title_full_unstemmed “Strange Beasts… in taste Chinese” : Le goût chinois dans l’Angleterre du XVIIIe siècle ou l’esthétique de l’étrange
title_short “Strange Beasts… in taste Chinese” : Le goût chinois dans l’Angleterre du XVIIIe siècle ou l’esthétique de l’étrange
title_sort strange beasts in taste chinese le gout chinois dans l angleterre du xviiie siecle ou l esthetique de l etrange
url https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/876
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