Around the World in Modern Travel Narratives
Spring Semester 2011, Fridays 10 a.m.-12.p.m.
http://www.youtube.com/pinkhousecats
http://ransdell.faculty.arizona.edu
ransdell@email.arizona.edu
Dr. D.R. Ransdell
Traveling provides the opportunity to examine fresh ideas, embrace new
cultures, and build bridges of communication. It’s small wonder that
travel narratives in which writers examine their experiences are a
popular genre, especially in a modern world where travel is relatively
easy. Whether as armchair travelers, past travelers, or would-be ones, a
critical study of travel narratives provides us with glimpses of exciting
new worlds as well as reminders of ones we’ve already encountered.
In this set of lectures, we’ll define the travel narrative and examine its
uses. We’ll consider criteria for “good” travel narratives, looking at some
famous older examples before turning to more recent samples. We’ll
examine a variety of texts ranging from narratives written primarily to
entertain to ones that recount their authors’ most lengthy and difficult
experiences. We’ll use these texts to develop broader world views, create
exciting reading lists, and start planning our next trips.
Required Texts:
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Calcagno, Anne, ed. Travelers’ Tales: Italy. Travelers’ Tales, Inc.
2001.
Iyer, Pico. Sun after Dark: Flights into the Foreign. Vintage, 2005.
Perrotet, Tony. Pagan Holiday: On the Trail of Ancient Roman
Tourists. Random House, 2003.
Recommended Text:
 Steves, Rick. Travel as a Political Act. Nation Books, 2009.
Tentative Syllabus of Discussion Topics and Readings
*Readings from our book list
1/21 Travel narratives: Definitions, early models
Edward Said, Orientalism
*Rick Steves: Travel as a Political Act, intro, Chapters 1, 3
1/28 Asia: Thailand, Burma, Tibet
Landon, Margaret. Anna and the King of Siam
Nicholl, Charles. Borderlines: A Journey in Thailand and Burma
Harrer, Heinrich. Seven Years in Tibet
2/4 Japan and China
Booth, Alan. The Road to Sata: A 2,000-Mile Walk through Japan
Iyer, Pico. The Lady and the Monk
Salzman, Mark. Iron & Silk
2/11 Mediterranean Overview, Egypt
Steegmuller, Francis. Flaubert in Egypt
Edwards, Amelia. A Thousand Miles up the Nile.
Kennedy, Douglas. Beyond the Pyramids: Travels in Egypt
*Perrotet, Tony. Pagan Holiday, Parts 1, 2, 7, 8
2/18 Italy, Part 1
*Perrotet, Parts 3
*Calgano, Anne, ed. Travelers’ Tales P1 (Elkjer, Lubin, Hemphill,
Hellenga, Fallowell)
Epstein, Alan. As the Romans Do (essays from the time he lived in Rome)
For further reading:
de Blasi, Marlena. A Thousand Days in Venice: An Unexpected Romance
(it’s mostly a romance, but it also gives a loving picture of Venice)
2/25 Italy, Part 2
*Calgano, Parts 3 & 4 (Sturla, Thorpe, Alford, Ellis, Parks, Green)
Doran, Phil. The Reluctant Tuscan (a humorous account of trying to
refurbish an old house despite all obstacles)
For further reading:
Fraser, Laura. An Italian Affair (this is mostly a memoir of a woman
trying to reinvent herself, but Fraser does a good job of describing what
modern life is like in Italy)
3/4 American Writers, American Southwest (guest speaker Kenneth
Lamberton, author of Chiricahua Mountains: Bridging the Borders of
Wilderness)
Before class, you might like to visit Lamberton’s website:
http://www.kenlamberton.com/publications.html
3/25 Greece
*Perrotet, Parts 4, 5, 6
Durrell, Gerald. My Family and Other Animals (humorous account of a
young English boy suddenly transported to Crete; his older brother,
Lawrence, moved the family there to help his writing career)
Stone, Tom. The Summer of My Greek Taverna (humorous account of
trying to run a taverna on the island of Pátmos; the author has
also written several books about Greek)
For further reading:
Holst, Gail. The Road to Rembétika (sophisticated analysis of Greek
counter-culture songs)
Durrell, Lawrence. Spirit of Place: Letters and Essays on Travel
Manus, Willard. This Way to Paradise: Dancing on the Tables (an account
of the author’s 35-year stay on Lindos)
Church, Brian. Always on a Sunday: An Englishman in Greece. (Essays
from the author’s stay in Athens)
4/1 Bruce Chatwin and Rick Steves
Chatwin, Bruce In Patagonia (Argentina and Chile)
*Steves, Rick. Travel as a Political Act, Chapters 4, 6, 8
For further reading:
Dessaix, Robert. Night Letters (a fascinating mix of travel narrative,
journal, and more)
Chatwin, Bruce. The Songlines. (beautiful, lyrical account of Australia,
but partially fictional)
4/8 Pico Iyer and other current authors
*Iyer, Pico. Sun after Dark: Flights into the Foreign
O’Reilly, James. The Best Travel Writing. Travelers’ Tales. (2010 edition)
(intro by Dalrymple, Wortsman, Goldman, Huizenga, Goodman, Iyer,
Carlson, Ward)