Tesi di laurea triennale in Letteratura inglese: Dorothy Wordsworth s Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland rephrasing the transcendental landscape aesthetics of travel writing

Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici

Corso di Laurea in Lingue, Letterature e Comunicazione Interculturale

Tesi di Laurea in Letteratura Inglese

“Dorothy Wordsworth’s Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland: rephrasing the transcendental landscape aesthetics of travel writing”

Relatore Ch.ma Prof.ssa Maria Luisa De Rinaldis

Laureanda Marika Tronchin

A.A. 2017/2018

A Stefano e Fabio.

Table of contents

INTRODUCTION 1

CHAPTER I TRAVEL LITERATURE 4

1.1 E G 4NQUIRY INTO THE ENRE Definition of “Travel Literature” 1.1.1 5

1.2 T W O A 7RAVEL RITING VER THE GES

1.2.1 Ancient Roots of Travel Writing 7

1.2.2 From Pilgrimage to the Grand Tour of Europe 9

The Eighteenth Century: Travel Writing’s Pinnacle 1.2.3 11

1.2.4 Towards Modern Times: Internalization of the Travel 14

CHAPTER II DOROTHY WORDSWORTH: WOMAN, WRITER, TRAVELER 16

A C T L 17ONSTANTLY RAVELLING IFEB B C 21ORN TO E OMPANIONSThree Persons, One Soul 22

F L S 24ROM OSS TO UBJECTIVITY

CHAPTER III RECOLLECTIONS OF A TOUR MADE IN SCOTLAND 29

3.1 A L J 29ITERARY OURNEY’ “E ”

3.2 D R T 31OROTHY S MOTION ECOLLECTED IN RANQUILLITY

3.2.1 A Picturesque Objectivity 33

“L ”3.3 F R 35EMININE OW OMANTICISM

Subverting the Natural Sublime: Dorothy’s Anti-Aesthetics 3.3.1 37

CONCLUSIONS 40

BIBLIOGRAPHY 43

Introduction

Travel is one of the greatest doors to human freedom, and the travel book is a medium through which humans celebrate this freedom.

~ Mark Cocker

This dissertation aims to investigate the ‘anti-aesthetic’ perspective in Dorothy Wordsworth’s travel writing, as a response and reaction to the Romantic canon, entirely centered on Nature. It particularly examines Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland, analyzing both its Romantic and ‘Anti-Romantic’ aspects, in order to outline her counteraction to the predominant landscape aesthetics in early nineteenth-century England.

Dorothy’s travelogue. It is essential to frame within the context of Travel Literature, whose prestige and reputation have become established in the last decades. As a matter of fact, despite its diversity of forms, themes, styles and itineraries, until the end of the twentieth century, Travel Writing was as a minor genre or, at least, a “middle-brow form” 1 diminished.

The whole thesis is based on the established assumption of recent feminist studies, which have re-discussed and re-evaluated her growing subjective authorship as detached from the notorious Wordsworth name.

From the second half of the twentieth century, several literary critics and Dorothy’s works, scholars have given different keys to interpretation of particularly of Recollections. Matter-of-factly it has been analyzed in relation as in John Nabholtz’ journal to the eighteenth-century notion of picturesque, article “Dorothy Wordsworth and the Picturesque” (1964); but it has also of the author’s subjectivity, as in Anne K. been examined as an expression Mellor’s Romanticism and Gender (1993), which is also strictly linked to the 1 C. Thompson, 2011, p. 2. 1 nature of Dorothy’s travelogue, gendered broadly discussed by different critics, such as Susan Levin, Meena Alexander and Margaret Homans.

This dissertation is divided into two main parts: the first provides an overview of Travel Writing, essential in order to elucidate the context and the background of Dorothy Wordsworth’s travelogue; the second examines Dorothy’s writing identity and subjectivity, particularly focusing on aesthetics. Recollections’

Since several scholars have provided different definitions of Travel Writing, Chapter I discusses the current taxonomic debate about this genre, seeking to embed it in a specific perspective, which would frame the whole discourse of the dissertation. Furthermore, this chapter provides an excursus which aims to outline how, across the centuries, the experience of travelling affected the perception of the Elsewhere and of the encounter with Alterity, highlighting how reasons and intentions behind travel-related texts have changed throughout each stage of Travel Writing’s development.

Chapter II examines the author’s life experience, emphasizing different aspects: her fondness for Nature, emerged since her childhood and representing a significant component of her literary approach and perspectives; her losses, essential element to interpret her self-creation as a – woman and as a sister as well as an orphan; along with her travel Ernest de Sélincourt, Dorothy’s major biographer, experiences. represents the main source of all the biographical material of this thesis. The second section of this chapter focuses on Dorothy Wordsworth’s relationship with her brother William and on their mutual literary influence, re-evaluating her ‘the poet’s sister’. personal prominence, in contrast with the idea of Virginia Woolf’s and Lucy Newlyn’s Common Reader: Second Series William and “All Dorothy Wordsworth: in Each Other” provide a significant support for a better understanding of the Wordsworths’ relationship. In addition, the third section provides a comparison with the poet and friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge, another mutual literary and poetic influence in Dorothy’s life. 2

To demonstrate its ‘anti-aesthetic’ Chapter III analyzes Recollections in order embedded within the context of Feminine ‘Low’ Romanticism, value, that branch of Romantic Literature conventionally associated to the notion of feminine sublimity and traditionally opposed to the Masculine ‘High’ Romanticism. Particularly, the focus of the chapter shifts towards the notion of the material sublime, assumed to be the main feature of Dorothy Wordsworth’s answer to Romanticism. 3

Chapter I

Travel literature

1.1 Enquiry into the genre

The term “travel literature” involves pluralism of writing frames, structures and methods, as well as diversity of itineraries and depicted sceneries. The boundaries between this genre and others are indeed quite blurred. As a matter of fact, it is not uncommon to find autobiographical aspects in a travelogue, 1 along with ethnographic or epistolary hallmarks; even nature writing is to be considered strictly related to travel literature.

It is almost compulsory to highlight this intrinsic hybridity in travel writing, which, according to Patrick Holland and Graham Huggan, encompasses “picaresque adventure, philosophical treatise, political commentary, 2 ecological parable, and spiritual quest”.

On the basis of this inner diversification, to talk about travel writing requires a meticulous analysis.

A preliminary distinction should be made between narrative and non-3 4 narrative travel writing: the first text-type provides an account of the events and of the encounters occurred during the writer’s journey; the second text-Nature writing is defined as: “Writing that describes the natural world. Obviously this 1 covers a huge array of texts, encompassing many different genres; the collective term ‘nature writing’ accordingly tends to be used of works in which ‘nature’ is not only described, but also constitutes a principal theme or focus of the text.” (C. Thompson, Glossary, in id. Travel Writing, 2011, p. 202).

2 P. Holland and G. Huggan 1998, pp. 8-9.

3 C. Thompson 2011, pp. 9-33.

4 For further analysis of the notion of text-type, the following book is recommended: Manfred Görlach, Text types and the history of English, Berlin-New York, Mouton de Gruyter, 2004, pp. 99-108. 4 type, by contrast, offers an account of new information or new perspectives acquired through the writer’s journey. In some extreme instances, non-narrative texts merely exist in terms of lists or catalogues of new material gathered during the voyage.

A supplementary difference occurs between fictional and non-fictional travel-related texts. As a matter of fact, in the long history of travel literature there have been several factual voyage accounts, such as The Travels of Marco Polo written by Rusticiano or In the South Seas, written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, to mention just two examples. But it is worth pointing out that, over the years, there have been fictive travels narrations, too. Just consider Joseph Conrad’s Swift’s Heart of Darkness or Jonathan Gulliver’s Travels, cases-in-point among fictional voyages, with their 5 essayistic and philosophical value in the form of an imaginary travelogue.

1.1.1 Definition of “Travel literature”

Considering all the above, it becomes hard to precisely define this genre. Many critics have debated its heterogeneity, therefore the arguable necessity of defining travel literature.

Among them, Jan Borm provides us with a wide-ranging definition, talking not as a monolithic genre, but rather as “a about travel writing collective term for a variety of texts both fictional and non-fictional whose main theme is. From this perspective, travel literature is thereby raised to a ‘super-6 travel” genre’ status.

Conversely, Paul Fussell circumscribes travel writing within a more precise and peculiar interpretation. His analysis closely examines the field of travel-related texts, with a particular focus on the definition of travel book, which, according to him, is a retrospective first-person account of travel, remarkable J. Buzard, “The Grand Tour and After”, in 5 P. Hulme and T. Youngs, 2002, p. 37.

6 J. Borm, in G. Hooper and T. Youngs (eds.), 2004, pp. 13–26. 5 for its underlying reading pleasure and for its aesthetic merits, as much as for 7 the useful information contained.

In an attempt to clarify what a travelogue is, Fussell separates it from a simple guidebook, whose categorical imperative is to properly transmit information, and which lacks the value of a personal eye-witness experience.

In drawing this distinction, he also establishes a contrast between the aesthetic 8 and the pragmatic purposes of travel writing.

Heading towards a broader outlook, the twentieth-century philosopher Michel de Certeau suggests a binomial relationship which ties travel and writing.

In his viewpoint, the writing process is itself a kind of journey, in its essence. both implement a sort of inner change in the author’s spirit; both require They an itinerary, a route. Since to travel is firstly to read and interpret the unknown – – in the elsewhere thus to translate and re-write it travelling unquestionably Hence de Certeau’s assessment: appears as a form of writing a story as well. “every story is a travel story” 9.

This inextricably connection may be better explained by Michel Butor, who maintains that a traveler is equally a writer, since he “marks the earth on he lands” 10 which, leaving a trace of his passing. From the departure point to the very end of a book, each word equates each of these tracks left along the paths of the journey. Both the text and traces are signatures of a personal 11 experience.

Closely aligned with this all-embracing position, Zweder von Martels claims that travel writing “seems unlimited in its forms of expression” 12, ranging from functional texts, such as guidebooks, itineraries, road books and even maps, to more extended and even private accounts of journeys and 7 C. Thompson, 2011, p. 15.

8 ibid., pp. 14-15.

M. de Certeau, “Chapter IX: Spatial Stories” in S. Randall (trans.), 9 2011, p. 115.

10 M. Butor, 1974, p. 14.

11 Ibid.

12 Z. von Martels, 1994, p. IX. 6 Plus, he states that “these [texts] appear descriptions of experiences abroad. […]”13 in prose and poetry. Therefore, as clearly expressed, von Martel incorporates poetry within this genre, corroborating its absorptive capability.

In this discursive context, I will make reference to von Martel’s approach and idea of travel literature, by virtue of its inclusiveness.

1.2 Travel writing over the ages

Motion and travel have always been rooted in human life. Early human beings were nomads, constantly moving in order to find shelter and food, therefore they travelled at least for functional purposes.

Based on this assumption, it is not difficult to understand that travel accounts are as old as the concept of travel itself. Since the remote past, men and women from all over the world, have travelled for different purposes, both practical and recreational.

If we consider oral sources, travel literature’s roots can be traced back prehistoric times, as evidenced by the Australian Aboriginal “songlines”, to which appear to combine descriptions of their traditional journeys with those 14 of their spiritual and religious ceremonies.

Nonetheless, written tradition about the travel have a long history as well.

1.2.1 Ancient roots of travel writing

“The earliest detailed account of a voyage in existence” 15, though fragmentary, dates back to 1130 BCE and it is attributed to Wenamun, a priest from the Ancient Egypt. He travelled from Thebe to Lebanon and, on his return, he noted a report about his arduous journey full of adversities, amongst which a hostile encounter with pirates, which almost cost him his life.

13 Ibid.

14 C. Thompson, 2011, p. 34-35 For further studies, see: Bruce Chatwin, The Songlines, London, Penguin Books, 2012.

15 L. Casson, 1974, p. 39. 7 Wenamun’s account, however, is not only descriptive: it is narrative, personal, even introspective, since it also includes a lament about 16 homesickness, which underlines the private aspect of the text.

From Egyptian to Roman Empire, through Ancient Greece, Classical antiquity represents the cradle of travel writing.

The periploi or navigationes (respectively, in Greek and Latin) were some primeval forms of travel-related texts, which were intended to outline 17 maritime itineraries and which, in some cases, precisely described the trips.

These elemental documents are not the only literary evidence coming from the Ancient world, which indeed provides us with both fictional and non-fictional more elaborated accounts. The first text-type may be perfectly depicted by Homer’s Odyssey (eighth century BCE), probably one of the most notorious fictive narration, considered to have established the Western 18 literary tradition, particularly odeporic literature. The epic poem follows the Greek hero Odysseus (equivalent Latin name, Ulysses) on his hard and complex journey attempting to return his homeland. Ulysses’ trip must be symbolically intended as the metaphor of life itself. As a result, The Odyssey 19 raises the concept of the travel to the status of a symbolic and inner quest.

With reference to non-fictional texts, several Greek writers have left us an important legacy in the form of a mixture of genres, interlinked by the topic also regarded as the “Father of History”-of travel. Among them, Herodotus - wrote an account about the wars between the Greeks and the Persians, The Histories (431-425 BCE), which combines descriptive elements about the voyage he made around the Mediterranean and Black Sea, with extended Pausanias’ sethnographic digressions on the encountered cultures. Description of Greece (155-80 CE), in turn, can be considered as a modern Travelers’ Tales, 16 R. Potts, Introduction, in VV.AA., The Best Travel Writing. Volume 11, 2016.

17 C. Thompson, 2011, p. 36.

18 Ivi, p. 35.

19 E. A. Bohls and I. Duncan, 2005, p. XIII. 8 guidebook, proposing an exhaustive account about Greek customs and 20 rituals.

1.2.2 From pilgrimage to the Grand Tour of Europe

The Fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 CE) represents the onset of the Middle Ages, dominated by a multitude of different travel experiences.

The pilgrimage was the leading non-utilitarian travel of the period, which gave rise to a prosperous literature, embedded in a veritable tourism industry. As a matter of fact, pilgrims may be considered as the ancestors of modern tourists, who follow pre-determined itineraries to pre-set destinations. The Feudal society of that time didn’t encourage individual mobility, however, men and women, despite the clergy conservative thrust, moved to significant religious sites (such as Jerusalem or Rome) and shrines, prompted by a 21 sincere devotion combined, in some cases, with a simple wanderlust feeling.

Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (1387) offers an accurate representation of the peregrinatio, through a series of stories told by a group of pilgrims. In Medieval times there was a certain tendency to make pilgrimage the heart of satire. It is indeed interesting to remark the parodistic nature of Chaucer’s work, in which the characters vividly depict the personification of the main medieval social features (both admirable and – deplorable, like the Knight, who represents chivalric virtues and values – honor, mercy, courage or the Prioress and the Friar, who symbolize the 22 corruption of the Church).

Along with the pilgrims there were many other categories of travelers in the Middle Ages, inter alia, merchants and explorers, which represent a huge source of travel texts. Among them, The Travels of Marco Polo, also known 20 C. Thompson, 2011, p. 36.

21 E. A. Bohls and I. Duncan, 2005, p. XIV.

22 D. Birch (ed.), The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Seventh Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford-New York, 2009, pp. 190-192. 9 as Description of the World or Il Milione, the transcription of the stories told by the Italian merchant and explorer Marco Polo to Rusticiano about his late-–