Voyages and Visions: Towards a Cultural History of Travel (Critical Views) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1861890206 ISBN 13: 9781861890207

Publisher: Reaktion Books, 1999

Synopsis

A much-needed contribution to the expanding interest in the history of travel and travel writing, Voyages and Visions is the first attempt to sketch a cultural history of travel from the sixteenth century to the present day. The essays address the theme of travel as a historical, literary and imaginative process, focusing on significant episodes and encounters in world history.

The contributors to this collection include historians of art and of science, anthropologists, literary critics and mainstream cultural historians. Their essays encompass a challenging range of subjects, including the explorations of South America, India and Mexico; mountaineering in the Himalayas; space travel; science fiction; and American post-war travel fiction. Voyages and Visions is truly interdisciplinary, and essential reading for anyone interested in travel writing.

With essays by Kasia Boddy, Michael Bravo, Peter Burke, Melissa Calaresu, Jesus Maria Carillo Castillo, Peter Hansen, Edward James, Nigel Leask, Joan-Pau Rubies and Wes Williams.

About this title

About the Author:

Jas Elsner is a lecturer in Art History at the Courtauld Institute in London.

Joan-Pau Rubies is a lecturer in History at the University of Reading.

From Library Journal:

Although both of these books are written by academics and cover the history of travel, their focuses and styles are quite different. Voyages and Visions is a collection of loosely related essays written by professors from Britain and Spain. The comprehensive introduction by editors Elsner (art history, Courtauld Inst.) and Rubi?s (history, Univ. of Reading) deals with the early history of travel and travel literature, from the Greeks and Romans to medieval pilgrimages. Other essays cover the writings of Petrarch, Montaigne, Bernier, and Rennell; travel accounts from the New World and Europe; mountaineering; and even travel in science fiction. The writing styles vary, with some essays more readable than others, but all delve into literary and historical theory. While equally substantial, Working at Play is a somewhat easier read. Aron, a professor at the University of Virginia, focuses on the history of vacations in the United States, offering extensive accounts from newspaper and magazine articles, letters, and diaries. She discusses the progression of American attitudes toward vacations. At first, vacations were for the rich and were often taken for health reasons until advances in transportation and the belief that refreshed workers are more productive led to vacations for most Americans. Aron details how the idea of church-related and educational vacations springs from the Puritan fear of idleness. There is also discussion of women's roles and vacations for minorities. Both books are recommended for academic social history collections.AKathleen A. Shanahan, Kensington, MD
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Reaktion Books
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 1861890206
• ISBN 13: 9781861890207
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 254
• Editor: Elsner Jas, Rubiés Joan-Pau