Critics have long struggled to find a suitable category for travelogues. From its ancient origins to the present day, the travel narrative has borrowed elements from various genres – from epic poetry to literary reportage – in order to evoke distant cultures and exotic locales, and sometimes those closer to hand. Tim Youngs argues in this lucid and detailed Introduction that travel writing redefines the myriad genres it comprises and is best understood on its own terms. To this end, Youngs surveys some of the most celebrated travel literature from the medieval period until the present, exploring themes such as the quest motif, the traveler's inner journey, postcolonial travel and issues of gender and sexuality. The text culminates in a chapter on twenty-first-century travel writing and offers predictions about future trends in the genre, making this Introduction an ideal guide for today's students, teachers and travel writing enthusiasts.
• Provides a comprehensive yet concise historical survey of travel writing • Offers a close focus on aspects and types of travel narratives, including the quest motif, the inner journey, postcolonial travel and gender/sexuality narratives • Considers what authors and critics of travel writing say about the genre
Contents
Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction: defining the terms; Part I. Historical Overview: 2. Medieval and early modern travel writing; 3. Travel writing in the long eighteenth century; 4. Travel writing in the long nineteenth century; 5. 1900 to the present; Part II. Continuities and Departures: 6. Quests; 7. Inner journeys; 8. Traveling b(l)ack; 9. Gender and sexuality; Part III. Writing and Reading Travel: 10. Writing travel; 11. Reading travel writing; 12. The way ahead: current travel writing; Bibliography; Index.
Reviews
Advance praise: 'Magisterial …' Conde Nast Traveller
Advance praise: 'Intriguing for anyone interested in the mechanics, history and future of the genre.' Wanderlust Magazine
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