The world of travel has long been the domain of white men, its challenges and adventures providing quests of masculinity for men who longed for new frontiers and the claiming of new spheres. In the 19th century, after settlers have populated its vast landscape and the indegenous cultures have been cast aside by dominating white societies, America is still a place of mystique and wilderness for people in Europe as well as in England. With an increased accessibility of intercontinental travel not only immigrants were drawn to the other side of the world, but curious travelers made the weeks long-journey across the ocean in pursuit of the unknown. Among them was the English author Charles Dickens who traveled to America in 1842 and published his American Notes in October of the same year.
This seminar is going to offer a look into his perception of America and compare it with Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi River (1883) in order to gain insight into the differences and similarities of their experience of travel in America in the 19th century. We will work towards an understanding of the relationship between masculinity and mobility to then approach the texts in search of mutual aspects that can be related to the authors' whiteness and masculinity but also differences that can be related to the cultural backgrounds of Dickens as an Englishman and Twain as an American. We will take into consideration what places they visited, which modes of transport they used and dissect their journeys towards other factors that come to your/ our attention while reading.
- Lehrende(r): Charlotte Piwek-Mengede