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Chapter 2

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37 views

Chapter 2

Uploaded by

pavithrabalan2310
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 2

Defining the Genre

Travel involves moving through different spaces, whether on a grand adventure or just exploring
nearby areas. This movement always brings encounters with new and different people, places,
and cultures. In travel writing, these encounters are key, as the writer reflects on the differences
they experience and how these shape their own identity. Travel writing doesn't just describe
unfamiliar places; it also reveals the traveller's own values and the cultural background they
come from. Defining travel writing is difficult because it often overlaps with other genres like
autobiography, ethnography, nature writing, and fiction. The boundaries of what counts as travel
writing are not always clear.

Critic Paul Fussell highlights that true travel writing, which he calls travel literature, is different
from guidebooks or tourism-related works. He believes that travel literature should be a
first-person account of real journeys, where the writer shares personal experiences and
observations about the places and people they encounter. These narratives can be as engaging
as novels, but they are grounded in reality and not fictional. Fussell describes travel books as
"displaced quest romances," where the traveller embarks on a journey, faces challenges, and
returns home changed by the experience. Modern travel writing is a broad and flexible genre
that includes everything from personal memoirs to works that are closer to investigative
journalism. It captures the essence of travel while offering diverse perspectives and styles,
making it a unique literary form.

Exclusive and Inclusive writings of Travel Writing:

In a local bookstore's travel writing section, you'll find a variety of materials, including
guidebooks, maps, travel photography, and travel literature. Maps and travel photography are
straightforward, offering visual insights into exotic locations. Travel literature, however, includes
detailed personal accounts of journeys, from historical figures like Marco Polo to modern writers
like Bruce Chatwin and Bill Bryson. Despite their popularity, many of these travel narratives lack
scholarly depth. Critic Paul Fussell's influential works, Abroad and Norton Anthology of Travel,
brought academic attention to travel writing, distinguishing it from guidebooks and other
travel-related texts.

Fussell emphasizes that true travel literature should not be confused with tourism or
guidebooks. It typically involves a first-person, reflective account of the author's real
experiences in unfamiliar places, focusing on their impressions and feelings. These narratives
are non-fiction, setting them apart from novels like Conrad's "Heart of
Darkness", which mix fact and fiction. Fussell describes travel books as "displaced quest
romances," where the author embarks on an adventure, faces challenges, and returns home
transformed. Travel writing can be adventurous and episodic (picaresque mode) or reflective
and nostalgic (elegiac/pastoral mode). Modern travel writing is a diverse genre, sometimes
resembling investigative journalism, as seen in works like George Monbiot's "Poisoned Arrows".

Travellers Tale: Fact and Fiction in Travel Writing:


Travel writers must balance two roles: accurately reporting their experiences and telling an
engaging story. This balance blurs the line between fiction and nonfiction in travel writing.
Writers can't record every detail of their travels; instead, they focus on significant events and
reflections. Often, these narratives are written retrospectively, relying on memory or notes.
Writers may choose to "show" rather than "tell," using vivid descriptions and dialogue to create a
more novel-like experience.

As a result, travel writing often includes some fictionalized elements. While some writers strive
to be faithful to their experiences, they may still edit or reconstruct events, subtly distorting
reality. Others may intentionally invent details or anecdotes. There is a long history of fictional
travel narratives, such as Thomas More's Utopia and Swift's Gulliver's Travels. Even in genuine
travel accounts, writers sometimes exaggerate or
fabricate details to satisfy readers' curiosity and desire for adventure.

The cultural and intellectual status of Travel writing:


Travel writing is often seen as having an amateur quality and is not viewed as a top source for
factual information. It's usually not favored by science or political students for research because
it's considered more literary. On the other hand, literary students might find travel writing too
focused on facts and not as rich or imaginative as novels for academic study. As a result, many
critics consider travel writing to be a minor literary form, not fully fitting into either the literary or
academic worlds.

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