Reeve's telling of the Egyptian story was part of an orientalizing trend at the time, with Arabian stories in vogue and seen as both exotic and moralistic in the romantic vein at one and the same time.

Charoba was a character representing the exotic world of Arabia and also depicting a strong woman besieged by an invading army under King Gebirus.

In the Landor version of the tale, some of the same elements may have served to appeal to his readers and to suggest a more romantic structure than the poem actually has. The poetry is seen by many critics as relatively severe, though they also see it as a masterpiece. Landor explained his approach in a postscript when he wrote, have avoided high-sounding words. I have attempted to throw back the gross materials, and to bring the figures forward. I knew that people would cry out "your burden was...
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