On the road: Travel and representation

Cultural practices of travel and the ways these are represented in travel writing and related modes of communication form one of the most compelling fields of contemporary critical inquiry. In this unit you will place this contemporary engagement within an historical, theoretical and practical perspective. You will examine travel practices, attitudes and ideologies in a range of texts, including the popular travel book and the tourist guidebook, fiction, film and journalism. We will investigate topics ranging from ancient pilgrimages through imaginary voyages, utopian fantasies, New World traveller's tales and the imperial quest, to the diverse branches of tourism today, including sex tourism and cyber travel.