The existence of sheikh romances as a subgenre has prevailed for well over a century in Western literature. Therefore, would one be able to discern whether the book cover imagery as well as the textual content showcases any tangible differences pre and post 9/11, and America’s “war on terror” campaign? A total of five books are observed: The Sheik by E.M. Hull published in 1919, Sarah Holland’s Desert Destiny published in 1991, Loreth Anne White’s The Sheik Who Loved Me and Penny Jordan’s Possessed by the Sheikh (both published in 2005), and lastly Crowned for the Sheikh’s Baby by Sharon Kendrick published in 2018. Ultimately, there was no major difference in the cover or textual content to be found pre and post 9/11. Not only is the term sheikh continuously misconstrued in these desert romances, but many of the same orientalist tropes are repeated throughout all five books. Most prominently, these stories often frame the Eastern male protagonist as barbaric and brutish due to his heritage (which is sometimes a fictionalized, coded MENA culture), but also simultaneously civilized due to his loose connection to the West (either genetically or having lived in the West). Additionally, at least one edition of each book displays inaccurate or cultural mixing motifs; this cultural hodgepodge alongside the orientalist tropes, provides the publishing industry an excuse to plausibly deny its perpetuation of Western imperialist narratives through the amalgamation of MENA cultures.
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I search for the mention of harems and animalistic descriptors of the male protagonist—big cats or birds of prey are most often used in such comparisons. The book covers are also scrutinized for cultural accuracy and analyzed for reinforcing any sort of stereotypes. (9)
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