EUTWIC · European Travel Writing in Context. The Socio-Political Dimension of Travelogues 1760-1850

European Travel Writing in Context. The Socio-Political Dimension of Travelogues 1760-1850

"""European Travel Writing in Context. The Socio-Political Dimension of Travelogues 1760-1850"" (EUTWIC) investigates the thesis that travel writing – a hugely popular genre at the time – is a fundamental medium in the process of the major political and social changes in Europe from the late 18th to the middle of the 19th century. In particular, the processes of the formation of collective national identities and cultures as well as the process of the formation of the middle class with its emphasis on the individual’s identity are implicitly depicted, performed and negotiated in travel writing of the period. The growing popularity of travel writing at the time underlines its increased social and political importance. Thus, the analysis of its the performative character with regard to identity helps us to gain a better understanding of (1) the processes of the formation of the nation states in Europe that started in the 18th century and are still going on and (2) the construction of individual identities. Furthermore, it tells us about the role of literature and particular genres in these processes. The socio-political functions of the genre are displayed in its changed form and content: from the late 18th century, travel writing increasingly changes from scientific reports to more entertaining literary forms. What is more, the particular features of the genre with regard to form and content (such as the oscillation between fact and fiction, inter- and meta-textuality and multilingualism) correspond to its multiple functions. It is the project's main objective to identify and describe these features in order to analyse the performative character of travel writing with regard to its social and political importance during the transition period from the late 18th to the middle of the 19th century. In order to do so and for the first time in travel writing studies, I applied a comparative analysis of travelogues by European writers between 1760 and 1850. The conclusions of ""European Travel Writing in Context"" give a much more detailed understanding of the complex functions and characteristics of the hugely popular genre of travel writing and tell us more about the processes of identity formation in Europe and the role of literary texts in it."

Data: CORDIS, © European Union