Abstract
The paper is dealing with the Victorian-era scholar and adventurer Richard Francis Burton's interest in cultures of the so called Orient and of human sexuality. It is common in the orientalist discourse to depict the "Orient" as reveling in sensuality and pleasure-seeking.
Burton's treatment of these two fields went beyond a mere fascination with exotic and peculiar customs of the "savages," or forbidden fruit. His approach to sexuality, and homosexuality in particular, is neutral and could be considered scientific, which was quite unusual for his time, since the general perception was that homosexuality is a sin, a disease of the soul, or in other words, a moral corruption.
Apart from this, there is a further trait which sets Burton apart, namely his advocacy of polygamy.