Transatlantic Travel Writing- Period 1

This course introduces students to American and British literature written between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 20th century. As it is impossible to cover all Anglo-American writing of the "long 19th century" in the course of seven weeks, we will focus on one specific genre: travel writing. This literary genre, which has been popular for centuries, has been much overlooked by academics and those constituting the British and American literary canons. The new critical paradigms of "transnationalism" and "globalization," however, necessitate a new and serious look at these texts. We will read travel writings by authors such as Charles Dickens, Henry James and Mark Twain in combination with canonized texts by these same authors. This will allow us to compare and contextualize. In addition, we will read and discuss some narratives written by lesser known and more marginal authors, as well as a few critical essays on travel writing. The course textbook is written by Carl Thompson, Travel Writing (Routledge 2011). The level of English in this course is high. You have to be able to read late 18th-, 19th- and early 20th-century texts.

Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.