Critics have long struggled to find a suitable category for travelogues. From its ancient origins to the present day, the travel narrative has borrowed elements from various genres - from epic poetry to literary reportage - in order to evoke distant cultures and exotic locales, and sometimes those closer to hand. Tim Youngs argues in this lucid and detailed Introduction that travel writing redefines the myriad genres it comprises and is best understood on its own terms. To this end, Youngs surveys some of the most celebrated travel literature from the medieval period until the present, exploring themes such as the quest motif, the traveler's inner journey, postcolonial travel and issues of gender and sexuality. The text culminates in a chapter on twenty-first-century travel writing and offers predictions about future trends in the genre, making this Introduction an ideal guide for today's students, teachers and travel writing enthusiasts.

Surveying various works of travel literature, this text argues that travel writing redefines the myriad genres it often comprises.

About the Author
Tim Youngs is Professor of English and Travel Studies at Nottingham Trent University. His publications include the forthcoming Beastly Journeys: Travel and Transformation at the fin de siecle (2012) and, as co-editor, The Cambridge Companion to Travel Writing (2002). In 1997, he founded Studies in Travel Writing and continues to serve as the journal's editor.

Reviews
'Youngs considers the past, present and future of 'this often exasperating, often exhilarating genre', points up current trends such as nature writing, and concludes that the future of travel writing is both certain and glorious. Hurrah!' Sunday Times
'Intriguing for anyone interested in the mechanics, history and future of the genre.' Wanderlust Magazine
'Magisterial ...' Conde Nast Traveller
'... an informative, readable introduction to the massive body of travel writing ... Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and general readers.' Choice
'The Cambridge Introduction to Travel Writing impresses through its historical and thematic scope and the wide range of texts it covers as well as its discussion of the issues that preoccupy the field in the twenty-first century.' H-Net



Book Information
ISBN 9780521697392
Author Tim Youngs
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 350g
Dimensions(mm) 227mm * 152mm * 13mm