Segalen, Victor,--1878-1919--Criticism and interpretation.

At the turn of the twentieth century when French imperialism is on the rise, the writers and naval officers Pierre Loti and Victor Segalen represent otherness in their literary work in different and even antagonistic ways. Loti, who became famous early in his lifetime, depicts exotic lands and his vision of the Other in an impressionist, sentimentalist, and sometimes-ethnocentric way while Segalen proposes to redefine exoticism polluted by colonial discourse. Segalen recognizes the uniqueness of foreign cultures and innovate in giving a voice to the Other. In spite of the differences between the two authors, it has not been emphasized enough their mutual attraction for the past and imaginary civilizations, their opposition to the assimilation of foreign cultures into European culture, and their blindness toward colonial ideology.