Standing at an international airport or a huge train station, we can observe two ways in which travellers spend their leisure time while waiting for their plane or train. Either, they are buying food or souvenirs, or they are reading. Some read their daily newspapers, others their favourite comics and some are hidden behind big books. Presumably, the majority of the people who are holding the big books are reading novels containing love stories, thrillers or something similar. While reading these stories, they are probably on a journey together with the protagonist of the plot, experiencing perhaps unknown or, to them, unfamiliar, but interesting and exciting situations. These people are travelling in their minds to far distant places while they are actually travelling, for example, to their working place, their home or to their holiday resort.
What is true now, has been true then. Some people in the 18th century, who had the possibility to travel, took some travel accounts with them on their journey and read them while actually travelling themselves. Others who had to stay at home travelled, as well, by reading books. Although they were in different positions, they shared their love for reading and travelling.
This term paper will analyse the connection between the two popular leisure time activities in 18th century Britain, i.e. travelling and reading novels.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Historical background information
- The rise of the novel
- The development of travel
- Interaction between travel and the novel in the 18th century Britain
- Influence of travel on the novel
- Influence of the novel on travel
- Depiction of travel in Oroonoko and A Sentimental Journey
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to analyze the connection between travel and the reading of novels as popular leisure activities in 18th century Britain. The paper will explore the historical background of both activities, analyze their mutual influence on each other, and examine how travel is depicted in two specific novels, Oroonoko and A Sentimental Journey.
- The rise of the novel in 18th century Britain and its social and cultural context
- The development of travel in the 18th century and its motivations
- The mutual influence between travel and the novel, including how travel shaped the novel and how the novel influenced travel practices
- The depiction of travel in specific novels, focusing on Oroonoko and A Sentimental Journey
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter introduces the topic by comparing modern travel experiences with those of the 18th century, highlighting the shared experience of reading and travelling in both periods. The second chapter provides historical context by examining the reasons behind the rise of the novel during the 18th century and tracing the evolution of travel practices across different eras. This chapter includes a discussion about the development of formal realism in the novel and the social and cultural factors that contributed to its popularity. The third chapter analyzes the interaction between travel and the novel, exploring how travel influenced the novel and vice versa. The paper then concludes by focusing on the depiction of travel in two specific novels, Oroonoko and A Sentimental Journey, analyzing how these works represent travel experiences and contribute to the broader dialogue between travel and literature.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The main keywords and focus topics of this paper include 18th century Britain, the rise of the novel, travel, travel accounts, Oroonoko, A Sentimental Journey, formal realism, and the influence of travel on literature and vice versa.
- Quote paper
- Kristin Kreer (Author), 2008, Interaction between the Novel and Travelling, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/137540
