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Travel Writing and Gender by Susan Basnett

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19 views

Travel Writing and Gender by Susan Basnett

Uploaded by

pavithrabalan2310
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Travel writing and Gender by Susan Basnett

Introduction:
Susan Basnett's essay "Travel writing and Gender" explores the relationship between gender
and travel writing. She discusses how travel writing, as a literary genre, has long been
dominated by men, and how this male dominance shapes not only the narrative but also how
travel experiences are perceived and recorded.

Male Dominance in Travel writing:

One of the key points Basnett emphasizes is the longstanding male dominance in travel writing.
Historically, men were the primary travelers, explorers, and adventurers. Travel, especially long-
distance journeys, required physical strength, wealth, and freedom- luxuries often reserved for
men in many societies. Women, due to societal norms and gender roles were often restricted to
domestic spaces, limiting their travel opportunities. As your result, travel writing became a male
dominated field, with male writers shaping the way travel experiences were narrated.

In this context, male travel writers often portrayed their adventures as acts of conquest,
discovery and mastery over the unfamiliar. They viewed travel as your way to assert power and
control over foreign lands and cultures.

Women's Experience of Travel:


But, women who travelled, had a very different experience. Basnett points out that women's
travel writing was often more focused on the domestic and everyday aspects of the places they
visited. Instead of viewing travel as an act of conquest, women were observers and wrote about
people, social customs, and the environment. Their writings were more personal and
introspective. Basnett says how women's travel writing was often dismissed as less important
compared to men's. Female travel writers were often scene as male observers, rather than
adventurers.

Limitations for women travel writing:

Basmat also discusses the challenges women face while travelling. Women wear often subject
to strict to social expectations which limited there freedom during their journey. For example
women travelers had to face the challenge of maintaining their honour while travelling alone or
in unfamilies cultures. Insan cases they had to disguise tenses as main to travel freely which
limited there autonomy. As your result women's travel writing often includes reflections on these
limitations and how they faced their experiences. This difference infocus can be traised back to
the different societal role and expectations placed on men and women. While men were
expected to be bold and adventurous, women were expected to the cautious and domestic.
Basnett argues that these gendered expectations shaped the way travel writing was produced
and consumed.

Modern travel writing:

Basnett notes that in more recent times, there has been a shift in travel writing. More women
are now writing travel literature, challenging traditional gender norms. As travel became more
accessible to women in the 19th and 20th centuries, more female travellers have emerged.
Their writings have begun to challenge the male-dominated narratives of travel. Women began
to travel independently explore new places, and write about their experiences from their own
perspectives. This change has not only opened up the genre to more diverse voices but also
broadened the scope of travel writing itself. Modern female travel writers often challenge the
notion of travel has a male pursuit. They explore new themes, such as identity, self- discovery
and the complexities of cross cultural encounters, which were often overlooked in traditional
male dominated travel writing. By doing so they provide a more nuanced and inclusive
understanding of travel and its significance.

Conclusion:
In her essay Baijnath effectivali or gives that gender place a significant role in shape in travel
writing. While men historically dominated the genre, women's travel writing offers a different,
often more personal and reflective, perspective. Overtime, as gendered roles have evolved, so
too has the genre of travel writing, with more women contributing their voices and experiences.

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