Suggesting that canonization of English novels coincided and complied with the expansion of British Empire, Said proposes contrapuntal reading as an efficient way to interpret British canons.

• 萨义德指出，英国小说经典形成与帝国扩张有着同时、共谋性的关系，并提出“对位阅读法”是阐释英国文学经典卓有成效的方法。