The Oriental as category was a European enthusiasm transposed eastward.

Evidence

Schwab’s notion is that “Oriental” identifies an amateur or professional enthusiasm for everything Asiatic, which was wonderfully synonymous with the exotic, the mysterious, the profound, the seminal; this is a later transposition eastwards of a similar enthusiasm in Europe for Greek and Latin antiquity during the High Renaissance. — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 149

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘Oriental’ as a constructed category of European amateur enthusiasm rather than a geographical reality — a core conceptual tool for the scaffolding.
• XREF: Connects to Said’s later argument about the Orient as a European invention enabling its own self-definition.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 149