ABSTRACT
Thisessayarguesthatinthelateseventeenthandearlyeighteenthcenturiesa particulartextualeffectofperceptionoccursincolonialdiscourse.Theaimis totracehowthetextualorganizationofmythicandiconiccategoriesworksto givethereaderdouble,andcontradictorypleasures.Theessayanalysesthe productionofascepticalcircuitofbeliefandunbeliefinnarrativesanddraws outtheimplicationsforreadingpractices.Ittracesthisparticulareffect-akind ofseeingdouble-infictionalnarrativesandtravelnarrativesspanningroughly 1660-1725includingBehn'sOroonoko,Struys'snarrativeofFormosa,and MaryDavys'sTheMerryWanderer.
