Travel writing helps travel writers to redefine their identity and to revise their concept of home as well as to determine its relative position in the world when using it as a frame of reference. In "Wanderlust: A Love Affaire with Five Continents", Elisabeth Eaves, both author and protagonist, renegotiates these two concepts – home and identity – in her inner journey of self-exploration.
Making use of a qualitative and explorative approach, this paper investigates the question of how the search for identity and belonging is fashioned in the book.
First, the theoretical part of the paper relates the concepts of home and identity to infer how home can function as a source of identity. These theoretical frameworks are then applied in the subsequent section to assess the manner and success of Elisabeth's strategies of identity construction providing an answer to the question whether her mobile lifestyle as a modern nomad leads to homelessness and lack of identity. Finally, the analysis section breaks down the narrative techniques Elisabeth uses to secure her public identity as travel writer and relates them to the construction of her personal identity.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction: toward a definition of the modern travel book
2 Home and Identity in Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents
2.1 Relating Home and Identity
2.1.1 Constructing Identity in an increasingly mobile world
2.1.2 Home as Identity
2.1.2.1 Home as a place
2.1.2.2 Home as being-with-others
2.2 Elisabeth’s search for home and identity
2.2.1 Establishing multiple place-based identities
2.2.2 Establishing romantic home-relations
2.3 Homelessness as a result of Elisabeth’s search for home
3 Textual strategies for securing identity
3.1 Elisabeth’s strategies of subjectification
3.1.1 Projecting difference onto the tourist
3.1.2 Projecting difference onto the local
3.2 Elisabeth’s strategies of subjection
3.2.1 Establishing an authentic traveler
3.2.2 Establishing a masculine traveler
4 Conclusion
5 Works cited
5.1 Primary Literature
5.2 Secondary Literature
Objectives and Topics
This paper investigates how the search for identity and belonging is constructed within Elisabeth Eaves’ book Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents, utilizing a qualitative and explorative approach to examine the protagonist's inner journey and the author's narrative techniques.
- The relationship between travel, home, and identity formation.
- Theoretical analysis of "place-identity" and "home as being-with-others."
- Textual strategies of subjectification and subjection in modern travel writing.
- The impact of a highly mobile, nomadic lifestyle on the concept of homelessness.
- The intersection of personal identity and the public identity of the travel writer.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1.2.1 Home as a place
Places differ from locations in one respect: they have meaning (Cresswell 1). The meaning attributed to a specific place can change, be either personal or shared and is created through practice. When a person lives in a place or uses it, it becomes meaningful for them (Cresswell 1-2). In fact, a place can become so emotionally relevant for them that they develop a sentimental attachment to it and by this means acquire “a sense of belonging and purpose which give meaning to [their] […] life” (Raadik-Cottrell 22; Proshansky, Fabian and Kaminoff 60). Home, in this case, can be referred to as a significant ‘place’ because it is “the central reference point of human existence”- it can shape a person’s identity by providing them with a particularly deep feeling of belonging (Chow and Healey 7).
If a place becomes an actual site for an individual’s identity production, then a so called place-identity is formed. The term place-identity denotes not just the previously described personal attachment to a place, it goes beyond that: place becomes a means for self-definition – in terms of what kind of person the individual thinks they are and what kind of person others might consider them to be (Chow and Healey 5).
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: toward a definition of the modern travel book: Defines the modern travel book as an autobiographical sub-genre and establishes the research focus on Elisabeth Eaves’ Wanderlust.
2 Home and Identity in Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents: Explores the protagonist's search for home through place-based identities and romantic relationships, using theoretical frameworks to assess her identity construction.
2.1 Relating Home and Identity: Establishes theoretical definitions for home and identity, emphasizing their relational nature and role in self-concept.
2.1.1 Constructing Identity in an increasingly mobile world: Discusses identity as a multifaceted, process-oriented concept within a globalized and mobile context.
2.1.2 Home as Identity: Analyzes home as an active, subjective experience of belonging that informs personal identity.
2.1.2.1 Home as a place: Examines how sentimental attachment to physical locations contributes to a stable sense of self-definition.
2.1.2.2 Home as being-with-others: Focuses on the dynamics of romantic relationships as a potential, yet often strained, source of home and identity.
2.2 Elisabeth’s search for home and identity: Evaluates the success of the protagonist’s efforts to establish home through various geographic locations and long-term relationships.
2.2.1 Establishing multiple place-based identities: Analyzes the protagonist's experience in diverse regions like Spain, the Middle East, and New York, identifying failures in forming lasting attachments.
2.2.2 Establishing romantic home-relations: Examines the protagonist's various romantic relationships and why most fail to provide a sense of home due to her inability to establish independent identity.
2.3 Homelessness as a result of Elisabeth’s search for home: Concludes that the protagonist's desire for constant mobility and her specific understanding of identity lead her to a state of literal and psychological homelessness.
3 Textual strategies for securing identity: Investigates the narrative techniques the author uses to establish an authoritative position as a travel writer.
3.1 Elisabeth’s strategies of subjectification: Discusses how the protagonist constructs her identity by differentiating herself from tourists and locals.
3.1.1 Projecting difference onto the tourist: Analyzes the protagonist's inconsistent identification with and simultaneous distancing from the figure of the tourist.
3.1.2 Projecting difference onto the local: Explores how the protagonist reinforces her Western identity by often casting local populations as inferior or "other."
3.2 Elisabeth’s strategies of subjection: Describes how the protagonist constructs an internal identity through self-fashioning techniques.
3.2.1 Establishing an authentic traveler: Details how the protagonist uses authoritative language, intertextual references, and personal vulnerability to gain legitimacy as a writer.
3.2.2 Establishing a masculine traveler: Examines the protagonist's adoption of traditionally masculine traits, such as independence and risk-taking, to justify her role as a female traveler.
4 Conclusion: Summarizes the study's findings, affirming that in a cosmopolitan, highly mobile world, the protagonist's search for identity ultimately results in homelessness and fragmentation.
Keywords
Travel writing, Identity, Home, Belonging, Modern travel book, Wanderlust, Elisabeth Eaves, Place-identity, Mobility, Subjectification, Subjection, Cosmopolitanism, Authenticity, Homelessness, Narrative strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper explores the search for identity and belonging in Elisabeth Eaves' travel book Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The research covers the relationship between travel, place-attachment, romantic relationship dynamics, and the textual strategies used in autobiographical travel writing.
What is the main research question?
The paper investigates how the protagonist’s search for identity is fashioned on both the textual and narrative levels throughout her nomadic experiences.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author uses a qualitative and explorative approach, applying existing theoretical frameworks—such as those by Twigger-Ross/Uzzell for place-identity and Kuang-Ming Wu for relationship dynamics—to analyze the literary text.
What does the main body focus on?
The body is divided into an analysis of the protagonist's search for home (in places and relationships) and an analysis of the author's narrative techniques (subjectification and subjection) to establish authority.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include travel writing, identity, mobility, home-relation, subjectification, subjection, and homelessness.
How does the protagonist view "home" in her travels?
She views home as an ideal, utopian state linked to comfort and freedom, which proves unreachable due to her constant need for mobility and "disorientation."
Why does the protagonist struggle to form a place-identity?
Her struggle stems from her view of identity as a singular, unified entity and her tendency to use places merely as backdrops for trying out different versions of herself.
How does the author use "masculinity" to validate her travels?
She adopts typically male traits, such as independence and the pursuit of risk, to counter the perception of the female traveler as an anomaly and to justify her right to move freely.
What is the final conclusion regarding the protagonist's mobile lifestyle?
The conclusion suggests that for this specific protagonist, extreme mobility results in a failure to reconcile different life experiences, leading to homelessness and a lack of a stable core identity.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Marie-Kristin Hofmann (Autor:in), 2014, Where I belong is who I am. The Search for Identity in Elisabeth Eaves' "Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/373246
