Student Sample From an Online Writing Workshop

Student Sample from Online Workshop Assignment (Authorial Role-Switching), 1 of 6

AS TRAVEL WRITING CRITIC:

In writing about travel, one has many indispensable guides to the art. A variety of

methods and styles are prevalent that span the several centuries worth of work.

Postcolonialism, ethical or modern, the genre does not lack for options. In the

19th century, a specific type of writing centering around that of a traveling, bourgeoisie

male figure, known as the flaneur, took hold. As the flaneur is a figure with the means to

travel or wonder, this used to be an exclusive group, reserved for the rich and well to do.

Today, the flaneur has been replaced by an entire group of the new leisure class, where

his exclusive ability to make these types of trips has been expanded to a great deal of

people. In the work of XXXXX and YYYYY, the modern flaneur has been flushed out

and exposed as an altogether contemporary and relevant genre of travel writing.

Traditionally, the flaneur is a male, urban figure with the social standing and

ability to move freely beyond borders (Helmers & Mazzeo, 10). As they go on to say, this

character travels for pleasure and experience rather than out of necessity. They travel the

world in order to collect visual information as they believe that to be the height of

reflective nature (11). As Anke Gleber describes in The Art of Taking a Walk: Flanerie,

Literature, and Film in Weimar Culture, Flanerie as she describes it is not based on a

collective sense of something essential to being seen: nothing should be regarded as more

worthy a perception than any other (131). The flaneur traveler is more concerned with the

broad, cultural aspects of a city; more with watching the crowd and capturing their

experiences than describing what the Eiffel tower looks like or the food at La Coupole.

He is more objective than subjective, as he floats above the action, describing it and

recording it for posterity. However, as Gleber notes, if the flaneur was to ignore any part


of the city it would certainly be those that are specifically prepared for tourism. The

flaneur prefers real local areas of culture that come to mind whenever one is passing

through a particular area (132). The everyday experience is very much important.

Helmers and Mazzeo point out that with the rise of tourism commercially, this type of

writing has become omnipresence. This is not to say that its omnipresence indicates

irrelevance however. Just the opposite. This figure relays a wealth of material about the

people and place, painting an objective picture to the reader while describing the fabric of

some sort of journey.

XXXXXs piece has a strong correlation with the modern flaneurist traveler.

Almost immediately, it becomes clear the narrator is off the beaten path. Caf Buza is

not your typical bar. In fact you might pass by a million times before you even realize it

is a bar. This is a remote place, in a remote part of Europe, the capital of Croatia,

Dubrovnik. Its literally a hole in the wall: Its through these historic walls that Caf

Buzas entrance is carved out. The language in the piece describes the sunshine, the

bright blue water and the patrons, all eager to jump into the sea, crashing against the

grey rocks. She is not on a tour of the gaudy capital buildings or the castles, built into

tourist destinations. Ironically, the destination is built into an UNESCO World Heritage

site. However its so off the beaten path that the sign for the business is a driftwood sign

hanging by a rusty wire. She has presented this surreal location as it is, without any

subjective value on it other than perhaps her enjoyment of the location.

Similarly, YYYYYs piece Sugarloaf & Other Tasty Things: The Maine

Edition has a flaneur aspect to it. In a broader context, Sugarloaf Maine is not a major

tourist destination within the state. The majesty of Acadia national park and the confines


of the rocky coast are the most heavily trafficked places in Maine. This piece is about a

family from Maine, taking a vacation within Maine. They go to Sugarloaf, a ski

destination, far from the popular centers of New England tourism such as Stowe or

Killington. This is an authentic trip by locals. Again, this piece is loaded with visuals,

painting a convincing picture: watch the slow, creaky 3-person chairlift moving ever so

slowly directly above you carrying small, overly excited children. Were inundated with

local knowledge, from what to order at The Bag to the steamed milk at the base lodge.

These are the local terrains a flaneur would want to seek out.

These pieces do not perfectly fit the objective, flaneurist form. In XXXXXs

piece on Croatia, more detail about the people at the bar might help to flush out the

cultural aspects so important to a flaneurist. In YYYYYYs piece, there is subjectivity in

the tone and overall angle. Its very obvious the author is fond of this destination. There

are no descriptions of type of people in Sugarloaf and that aspect of the cultural

experience is not exposed.

On another level, these work extremely well in exposing modern flaneur travel

writing. XXXXXs piece takes place in a city, off the beaten path and visually represents

the coast of Croatia. Similarly, YYYYYs piece shows a local destination in Maine,

where many of the visitors feel inundated in a community type atmosphere. Both of these

pieces have, as Gleber describes it, a gaze that is, detached from the body . . . its

attention is directed primarily toward the spectacle that presents itself as a kind of motion

in the world, (134). The authors are not partaking in any action. Those that they describe

are actions of others. They are passive observers, documenting what they see.

Additionally, these observers fit the mold of the modern leisure traveler, those with


enough money to make these trips. Croatia is a remote, far location. Ski resorts are not

frugal destinations of any sort. These destinations are not being presented as more

worthy than any other. These experiences fit within the mold of the modern flaneur.

They are, as Charles Baudelaire put it in The Painter of Modern Life, the passionate

spectator.

Baudelaire, Charles. The Painter of Modern Life and Other Essays. Google Books.

Phaidon Press, 1995. Web.

Gleber, Anke. The Art of Taking a Walk: Flanerie, Literature, and Film in Weimar

Culture. Google Books. Princeton University Press, 1998. Web.

Helmers, Marguerite, and Tilar Mazzeo. "The Traveling and Writing Self." Cambridge

School Publishing, 2007. Web.

AS TRAVEL WRITING COLLEAGUE:

For XXXXXs piece on Caf Buza, I would recommend the online publication Atlas

Obscura (www.atlasobscura.com). This publication is interested in remote, interesting

and somewhat random places that are found all over the globe. For instance, one recent

place is a South Pacific Island and a tribe of indigenous people who worship a dead

American G.I. from World War II. XXXXXs piece would fit in well here. The

description she uses of passing through the wall to get to the cliff bar sounds taken right

from these very pages: No bigger than 4 feet by 3 feet at its largest, a tunnel winds

through the thick stone. This bar, on this cliff in Croatia is certainly surprising and in


lieu with the statement on Atlas Obscura that they still believe in discovery. The

founders favorite travel trip was exploring a side door in an Italian church which yielded

an unexpected result. Likewise, following this tunnel to a cliff jumping bar would seem

to fit nicely with that mindset.

The purpose of the work here is out of the way, obscure writing that piques the

interest of readers. There are a variety of articles that are split between destination posts

and more traditional, full length features. Right away, pictures are an obvious part of this

publication. On every post, an array of photos are used which is effective in flushing out

the interesting parts of the destination. Even their long feature pieces contain many

pictures. They certainly are entertaining works but they all have the purpose of getting

the reader interesting in traveling there. The obscure and the weird definitely exist here.

From the bordellos of Belle Epoque Paris to an Island off the coast of Brazil that has

deadly vipers at the rate of 1 for every square meter, as long as its interesting it will be

found here. Additionally, there are plenty of brief historic paragraphs tracing the general

past of whichever place is being described.

For YYYYYs piece on Sugarloaf Maine, I believe the destination piece in

Outside magazine would be the best fit (www.outsideonline.com). The piece on

Sugarloaf reads just like several travel suggestion pieces that regularly appear in Outside.

There is the requisite descriptive language about the overly excited children on the

chairlifts and the recommendations on where to stay (Gondola Village) and where to get

a cup of good coffee (Java Joes). Its selling the resort and the trip as an experience a

traveler interested in skiing would definitely enjoy.


The purpose of these articles is usually to entice the reader to take the exact,

described trip. From staying at the same hotels to eating at the same restaurants, these are

almost guide like, 1000 word or so pieces. Many of them describe weekend destinations,

perfect for Sarahs piece since it ideally takes place over 2 days. There are usually some

photos but that doesnt seem to play a big part in these articles. They usually offer a few

more daytime activities so maybe that would be an avenue to explore for YYYYY.

Theyre trying to convince you to travel to a place, which is something YYYYY does

well in her writing on Sugarloaf.

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Student Sample From an Online Writing Workshop