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

Project Information

EUTWIC

Grant agreement ID: 751378

DOI

10.3030/751378

Project closed

EC signature date 20 February 2017

Start date 1 October 2017

End date 31 March 2020

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 171 460,80

EU contribution

€ 171 460,80

Coordinated by

JOHANNES GUTENBERG-UNIVERSITAT MAINZ
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EUTWIC (European Travel Writing in Context. The Socio-Political Dimension of Travelogues 1760-1850)

Reporting period: 2017-10-01 to 2019-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

"""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."

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

"Work performed
Through the analysis of a vast corpus of texts written in English, French, Italian, German and other European languages, I identified the particular structures and characteristics of the texts that make them a fundamental medium of the social, cultural and political developments at the time. In several case studies on individual texts from the bigger corpus I could then show the important functions of techniques such as intertextual references, metatextual reflections, multilingual elements and translation with regard to the negotiation of identity/identities in travel writing.
From January to May 2019 I spent a secondment at the Centre for Travel Writing Studies at Nottingham Trent University.

Overview of the results (publications, papers etc.)
- Seminar/Cours-conférence ""Heinrich Heines Harzreise im Kontext des Reiseberichts""; Université Saint-Louis, Brussels, March 22, 2018.
- Paper on Charles Dickens and Fanny Lewald's travel writing at the conference(De)scrivere Roma nell'Ottocento: alla ricerca del museo delle radici culturali europee, Istituto Storico Austriaco a Roma and Accademia di Romania in Roma, April 12-13, 2018.
- Research paper on multilingualism in travel writing at the English Research Seminar Series at Nottingham Trent University, February 20, 2019.
- Paper at the lunchtime Research Forum of the Cross Cultural Circa Nineteenth Century Research Centre at the University of St Andrews, March 6th 2019.
- Paper on intertextuality in travel writing at the Borders and Crossings Conference 2019, University of Leicester, 4-6 July 2019.
- Paper on Hester Lynch Piozzi's travelogue at the conference Femmes de Lettres, Humboldt University Berlin, 5-6 September 2019.
- Guest Editor (with Birgit Englert/Vienna) of Mobile Culture Studies. The Journal No. 06/2020 on the interplay between text and the visual in travel writing.
- Guest Editor (with Leena Eilittä) of CompLit: Journal of European Literature, Arts and Society No. 02/2020 on travel writing, cultural exchange and identity construction.
- Article “Literarische Reisen nach Italien” in: Europäische Geschichte Online (EGO); URL: http://www.ieg-ego.eu/vlastas-2020-de
- Paper “Intertextuality in Travel Writing – Negotiating Identity through Textual Relations” at the concluding conference of the project, January 23, 2020.

Overview of the dissemination
- Workshop ""Travel Writing in Context"", Friday, February 9, 2018, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.
- Presentation of the project as well as the Marie-Skłodowska-Curie-Actions Programme; Sapienza Università di Roma, March 6, 2018.
- Presentation of the project as well as the Marie-Skłodowska-Curie-Actions programme at the event ""Research Careers in Europe"" at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, June 28, 2018.
- Workshop on travel writing, Vienna, November 30, 2018; co-organised with Birgit Englert (Vienna), in cooperation with the research platform ""Mobile Cultures and Societies"" (University of Vienna).
- Session on Rome in Travel Writing at the Travel Writing Reading Group at Bromley House Library in Nottingham, May 1, 2019 (community event).
- Podcast for the Centre for Travel Writing Studies podcast series with Dr Rebecca Butler (Nottingham Trent University). https://centrefortravelwritingstudies.weebly.com/podcasts.html
- Panel ""Travel Writing, Cultural Exchange and Identity Construction"" (co-organised with Leen Eilittä, Helsinki) at the 8thConference of the European Society of Comparative Literature in Lille, 26-30 August 2019.
- Second workshop at the University of Vienna, October 4, 2019; co-organised with Birgit Englert (Vienna) and the research platform research platform ""Mobile Cultures and Societies"" (University of Vienna).
- Workshop for students on sound and hearing in travel writing with Prof Tim Youngs (Nottingham Trent University); January 23, 2020 at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz.
- Evening with Jochen Schmidt (travel writer) at the bookshop Cardabela in Mainz; January 23, 2020 (community event).
- Concluding conference in Mainz on January 23-24, 2020."

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

EUTWIC closes several gaps in international scholarship on the subject with regard to:
1. a comparative view on travel writing in Europe;
2. an interdisciplinary approach to the subject;
3. a raised awareness of gender aspects in travel writing
4. a raised awareness of genre theory and travel writing.

The results of the project form the basis for further research both on European travel writing as well as on the performance of nationality and individuality in Europe, such as (1) further comparative studies on travel writing (for instance on other historical periods or for different linguistic and cultural contexts), (2) further research into the connections between texts and performance and creation of nationality, (3) further research on travel writing with a genre theory approach and (4) a comparative, comprehensive overview on travel writing in Europe.

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