italian grand tour midterm

The historical and cultural aspects of the Grand Tour

• why travel?

  • means of exploring “the other”

  • means of exploring “oneself” (self-discovery)

• grand tour

  • origins of modern tourism

    • translates into current study abroad programs 

      • after WWII, the Grand Tour was institutionalized into study abroad

    • representation of italy through foreign eyes

  • established at the end of the 1500’s (16th century) — continued into the 1700’s

  • definition: protracted travel for pleasure throughout Europe with Italy as its main destination (main cities were rome, florence, and naples). In the 1700’s it became a crucial part of the ideal education and image of a social elite. 

    • grand tour was a rite of passage / coming of age experience

  • a group of people that travel throughout Europe with Italy as the main focus

    • came in search of art, culture, lifestyle, literature, passion, architecture, etc (from ancient civilizations like the roman empire and the greeks)

    • hope to bring home their experience and inspiration

  • tourism and travel for pleasure started more recently — people wanted to see what it was like to live in famous places

    • began at the end of the 1500’s (16th century) during the renaissance

      • people were getting inspiration from ancient civilizations

    • continued through the age of enlightenment in the 1700’s (18th century)

      • people began to question religion and politics (began thinking through reason and logic)

      • travel offered experience

  • James Buzzard, The Grand Tour and After (1660-1840)

  • people travelled with a “bear-leader” (tutor)

    • tutors watched over young travellers and pointed out important destinations

• typical grand tourist

  • young (late teens, early twenties), male

    • they just finished school and would be before they got married

    • only wives or sisters would come on occasion (females did not travel independently)

  • from england

  • wealthy aristocrats / landowners who inherited money and were educated

• what indicates a grand tourist (looking at an image)

  • art, statues (roman), writing, books, globe, dog, silk suit

  • probably 20s-30s, nice home, British, wealthy, well-educated (books / writing)

Goethe as a traveller

• who is he? (1749-1832)

  • Novelist, poet, playwright, courtier, natural philosopher; one of the greatest figures of Western literature

• characteristics while in rome:

  • independent

  • passionate about roman history and art

  • educates himself

  • serious

  • artists (meets tischbein)

  • 37

  • incognito

  • travels via public transport

  • social

  • curious

  • rebirth → gave him a sense of clarity

• paragraph from excercize 

  • Goethe, as a traveller, comes across as someone who is both curious and deeply engaged with his surroundings – which is very different from the typical Grand Tourists we’ve previously discussed. Instead of focusing on luxury or showing off his status, Goethe is genuinely interested in understanding Rome’s art and history, stating that, “Only in Rome can one educate oneself for Rome” (page 133). He spends his days sketching ruins, studying ancient sculptures, and reflecting. Unlike many Grand Tourists who were content to simply observe or collect art, Goethe wants to learn and grow from what he sees. Goethe shares, “I am not here simply to have a good time, but to devote myself to the noble objects about me, to educate myself before I reach forty” (page 137). The author truly wants to gain insight from his experience and educate himself as much as possible. He is not entirely alone on his journey. Goethe interacts with other Germans like Tischbein, however his reflections are often solitary. Goethe doesn’t just travel to see Rome, he wants to become someone different by being there which sets him apart from the traditional Grand Tourist.

    
    

Stendhal

• How do we recognize Stendhal as a Romanic writer and traveler?

  • very emotional, personal reactions (more than the actual representation of what he sees)

  • over the top descriptions

• Definition of Romanticism:

  • a movement in the arts and literature [and philosophy] that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the individual.

• elements of romanticism:

  • imagination

  • emotion / irritionality

  • intuition

  • sensorial sensations

  • the individual (in literature, large use of autobiographical material), also as unique or even eccentric at times

  • heroism

  • nature (wild, unbridled, powerful)

  • the past / history (p 304-305)

  • taste for those aristic periods dismissed by the enlightenment

• Stendhal doesn’t like the Florentines

  • finds the people very plain and boring

  • thinks they don’t have courage or passion

  • Stendhal represents the Florentines according to his own standards. He sees them as passive and too accepting of their foreign rulers, unwilling to risk their positions in the name of liberty.

  • quotes: 

    • ...lack passion

    • ...lack the energy and great ideals of their ancestors

    • ...accept a foreign ruler in order to secure their wellbeing

    • ... are polite, meticulous, obedient...in short, they are

    • “anti-romantic”

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