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| Spring 2012 Course Offerings > From the Grand Tour to Study Abroad: Travel in Italy Since the 18th Century |
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From the Grand Tour to Study Abroad: Travel in Italy Since the 18th CenturyInstructor: Prof. Wingenter [see profile] This course examines the history and literature of British and American travel to Italy. Throughout the course we will examine travel as a historical phenomenon, considering the economic, social and cultural developments that both affected and were affected by travel to Italy. Travel writing is a literary genre with its own codes and objectives but it also represents a particular kind of primary source for the historian. Not only can its very existence provide insight into certain historical developments (e.g. changing modes of transportation, the development of long distance postal services, the spread of literacy, the increase in leisure time for the middle classes, etc.), but travelers’ accounts often remark on aspects of daily life, traditions and customs that locals rarely record, either because they cannot (in the case of illiterate peoples) or simply because such things seem too obvious or mundane to merit description. Travelers’ writing then, in addition to being a window on travel itself, can give us much insight into the so-called “history of daily life” on the Italian peninsula since the 1700s. Of course, we must bear in mind that travel writing offers us not just a view of Italian society but also reflects the concerns and expectations of its authors. One of the great ironies of travel writing about Italy is that although the notions of Italy and Italian identity were and are hotly contested by Italians themselves, so many visitors to the peninsula seem to develop, indeed often arrive already equipped with, a clear idea of what constitutes Italian-ness. In order to highlight this problem, we will contrast travel writing at each stage of the course with examples of writings on Italy by Italians themselves. Requirements:
Materials: * Protected content |
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