Promotion of culture via Travel Literature

Author: Mamoona Aslam.

Writing and travel have long been considered two of the finest pastimes of civilized man, with both helping to shape and define one's intellect by widening one's horizons of the world. Literature and travel share a common goal i.e. they both satisfy man's desire to escape the monotony of daily life. Someone interested in literature or travel cannot avoid encountering the other at some point during their journey. Both fields are considered as having different horizons but they are intertwined with each other. Travel literature originated from the UK and now making its presence felt all around the globe. Through literature, readers come to know about different places that are unexplored or less known.

Traveling in the true sense is conquering places and their culture to a certain extent. Travel is necessary because people are curious about knowing and exploring other's cultures. As Saint Augustine says, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page”. Travelers intend that other people must know about different cultures and unknown destinations. And they do it via travel writing. If we trace back history from Herodotus's travel to Persia, Egypt, Italy, and the Danube valley to Columbus's voyage to America it can be rightly said that travel writing is the first literary production of mankind.

Although the opinion regarding travel literature is divided and both can not be overlooked i.e. it promotes the culture of the area but at the same time, it destroys the aesthetic beauty of the place when more people approach it. Different scholars like Mike Robinson, Stephen Coan, Randy Malamud, etc. talk about the validity of travel literature. On a general level, the insight that travel literature provides about culture and the way it conserves cultural heritage is quite remarkable. Stephen Coan in his book “Read book, will travel” talks about the spatial dimension of literature and how it influences tourism. Travel literature has grown popular over the years and this also triggers "travel-being" in readers. One can know and have the gist of the world places by travelogues.

Travel writers intend to inform people about the culture of aboriginal people and places unexplored. It also dismantles the way people perceive other societies and cultures. Travel literature help in breaking stereotypes and making people conscious about accepting others' culture. Travelogue help in exploring the concept of ‘otherness’ as it tries to provide another lens to view different culture, societies, and places. For example, The Road to Makkah by Muhammad Asad is Arabian travel literature. In this, he talks about his experience and journey upon the road he has traveled and breaks the superior-inferior duo that exists between West and East.

As Susan Bassnett in the book “Comparative Literature, A Critical Introduction” is of the view that text by travelers shows prejudice, stereotype, and negative perception of other cultures and their work is part of manipulation that shapes our attitudes regarding other cultures. But contrarily it is travel writers and travelogues through which one can get to know about far of places and their cultures. As culture is linked to identity as any society's or community's culture is its identity. It is a broad expression of human behavior. It focuses on the way of life of individuals in a community. Culture includes certain ideologies, beliefs, customs, etc. The reader has a better understanding of culture through studying the travel narratives.

Travelogues act as a mediator between readers and the culture of foreign places. For example, Sarah Baxter in Inspired Traveller’s Guide: Hidden Places uncovers twenty-five most obscure places of the world i.e. Tyneham, Skara Brae, Ladby Ship, Spirit Island, Black forest, El Mirador, etc. It reveals about history and culture of many places for example the opening story about the residents of an English village who were evicted during the war to make way for a military base and never allowed to return or the Irish castle that burned to the ground with the majority of its residents and labors inside. Hidden places celebrate the culture of different mysterious and enigmatic places of the world. By doing this Sarah Baxter is inspiring other people to go to these places instead of visiting the same tourist destinations.

Such types of travelogues along with celebrating cultures also give insight to potential travelers to explore hidden places. Hence travel writing is a genre that promotes culture and first-hand experience about places around the globe. It also increases intercultural communication and keeps culture alive.

Works Cited:

Baxter, S. (2020, March 3). Hidden Places. Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53078426-hidden-places

Home. (2021, December 2). Literary Tourism. https://literarytourism.co.za/?option=com_content

A Short History of Travel Writing. (2022, March 25). The Travel Tester. https://thetraveltester.com/a-short-history-of-travel-writing/