William Beckford, the eccentric author of Vathek, took his fascination with the medieval so seriously that he became delusional, building a medieval retreat that included the highest spire in England (which collapsed while he was away in London), a 12-mile wall, and a pack of wild dogs reminiscent of the pack of wolves that surround Dracula's castle. On one occasion an "uninvited visitor (the cousin of the painter W. P. Firth) was treated graciously by Beckford, then informed of the dogs that evening as he was ushered out the door. He spent the night in a tree." Beckford incorporated Orientalism into his medieval lifestyle, calling himself "the caliph" and referring to his estate, Fonthill, as "Bagdad," and identifying with his title character, Vathek. In his writing, Beckford was inspired by the darker imagery associated with Orientalism. In Vathek, "the monstrous, threatening genii found in The Thousand One Nights (more commonly known as The Arabian Nights)," were replaced with skies streaked with blood, a demonic Indian, and a monster named Vathek who commits numerous crimes, including the immolation (in a fiery pit resembling the hell-chambers seen in medieval painting) of 50 children.

SEED: The image of a guest spending the night in a tree after being shown the dogs is a striking anecdote — could anchor an essay on the psychology of obsessive historical reenactment or gothic eccentricity. FICTION: Beckford's self-styled life as 'the caliph' in a medieval estate, complete with wild dogs and a collapsed tower, is ready-made gothic character material.

Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imag…, loc. 436