«Naji B. Oueijan's 'A Compendium of Eastern Elements in Byron's Oriental Tales' serves several audiences. For the Byron scholar, he provides a necessary analysis of the richness of Byron's learning about the East. For the lover of Byron's poetry, Dr. Oueijan illuminates Byron's texts and encourages intelligent readings of the Oriental tales. Finally, he provides a necessary corrective to some of the political and ideological understandings of Orientalism, which have dominated contemporary scholarship since the publication of Edward Said's 'Orientalism'. For all of these readers, Dr. Oueijan's work is pertinent and relevant.

» (James E. Barcus, Baylor University, Texas) «Naji B. Oueijan uses a brilliant approach to diffuse Edward Said's concept of Orientalism in order to dispel many misconceptions and oversimplifications about Romantic Orientalism, in general, and about Byron's Orientalism, in particular. After redefining Orientalism proper, Dr. Oueijan convincingly argues that the Eastern elements in Byron's Oriental tales are genuine and integral to the themes and structures of these tales by exploring Byron's Oriental background and by thoroughly discussing the tales' Eastern elements: social, geographical, and artistic. A scholar specialized in Romanticism in English Literature with an authentic Eastern background, Dr. Oueijan's discussion is authoritative.» (Ameen A.

Rihani, Notre Dame University, Lebanon).