This is a story by an Englishman, written originally in French, about a caliph in and around what is currently parts of Arabia, Persia, and India. Not only that, but it's a novel by a (presumably) Christian about a group of Muslims. Get ready.
Maybe it's just the setting, but “Vathek” reminds me of an earlier volume on the “1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die” list – the “Thousand And One Nights”. The characters in that one, apart from the fable animals, are almost all Muslims operating in and around Arabia. Pretty frequently, the characters in the “Nights” must contend with spirits and demons and whatnot, as they do here. Whether or not William Beckford ever read the “Nights” is not something I happen to know; it's as likely that Beckford simply derived his plot and setting from the movement called “Orientalism” of his day. Either way, “Vathek” reflects not only Orientalism, but also, we're told, the “Gothic” style of Horace Walpole's “The Castle Of Otranto” some 18 years prior. Obviously, “Vathek” takes its cue from a great many other works. What, if anything, makes it original enough to attract our attention?
It certainly isn't that Orientalist bent that we see here. That approach was quite popular in Beckford's day. Wikipedia tells us that “In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world.” Seems simple enough, but it goes on to say that “Since the publication of Edward Said's 'Orientalism' in 1978, much academic discourse has begun to use the term 'Orientalism' to refer to a general patronizing Western attitude towards Middle Eastern, Asian, and North African societies.” That patronizing approach is very much on display in this story.
The title character, Vathek, is the Caliph, a major leader of the Muslim faith. His primary characteristic, aside from his gluttony for food, drink, wealth and women, is his endless curiosity and desire for knowledge about everything, including or especially things that human beings should not look into too deeply. One day, an unusually hideous man comes to Vathek's court with intriguing items for sale, including a set of sabres with printing engraved on them that changes frequently. In his curiosity to know what these swords say, he shortly strikes a deal with the hideous merchant. He will renounce Muhammad and Islam, sacrifice some 50 young men to the merchant's desire for blood, and thus receive all the powers of the underworld. As you can guess, hijincks ensue.
When it comes to the patronizing attitude of Western Europe toward the “Orient”, you'll notice that this story focuses entirely on the mystical and evil nature of Vathek's world. From time to time, the narrative refers to the normal, daily, middling righteous lives of Vathek's subjects, but never shows it to us. There's no curiosity in evidence here about what life might actually be like in this region; the focus is all on the exotic and outre.
So if Orientalism doesn't give “Vathek” any originality, what if anything does? Well, it's not the plot. As with some of the stories in the “Thousand And One Nights”, the characters here get greedy, sell their souls to the infernal spirits for power and riches, commit various horrible crimes, and to their surprise (but not ours) get exactly what's coming to them. Truthfully, the characters don't commit crimes of the type I expected. There's very little sex, consensual or otherwise, in this tale, and even the murders take place offstage. I guess the primary crime we see is that of renouncing God, which is bad enough, but these days it's not as shocking as it probably was in the 18th century.
If there's originality in “Vathek”, it's in the language and style. Both add a good deal to the novel's forward motion, although as was often the case back then, Beckford frequently interrupted his narrative with details about the Caliph's possessions, clothing, and surroundings. Despite the interruptions, this content involves us pretty heavily in the story itself, in that it makes us wonder how the demonic world will make these rich jerks pay for their jerkiness. They do.
“Vathek” is detailed enough, and short enough at less than 200 pages, to maintain interest. You can read it in a day or so, A “must read”? Maybe not. Entertaining? To be sure.
Benshlomo says, Remember, there are only about ten stories in the world, but that doesn't mean they're not worth reading again.
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