Revisiting Italy: British Women Travel Writers and the Risorgimento (1844-61)

In the era of mass tourism, Italy became an accessible destination for Victorian women travelers, who were actively involved in the Italian campaign for national independence known as the Risorgimento. Revisiting Italy explores previously unexamined travel accounts by women during this period, highlighting the broader influence of the Risorgimento in British literature. The book analyzes various forms of travel writing, including unpublished letters, privately printed accounts, and periodical serials, and explores how political advocacy, gender ideologies, national identity, and literary authority converged in women's travel writing. It identifies shared touristic discourses that were shaped by commercial pressures and the volatile political climate at home and abroad.

Format: Hardback
Length: 282 pages
Publication date: 06 May 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

With the advent of mass tourism, Italy emerged as an increasingly accessible destination for Victorian women travelers, offering not only a rich cultural experience but also a platform for political inquiry. Despite being denied political representation in Britain, many female tourists actively supported the Italian campaign for national independence, known as the Risorgimento (1815-1861). This essay delves into a selection of previously overlooked travel accounts by women during this pivotal period, shedding light on the broader influence of the Risorgimento in British literature. By situating once-popular but now-marginalized writers such as Clotilda Stisted, Janet Robertson, Mary Pasqualino, Selina Bunbury, Margaret Dunbar, and Frances Minto Elliot alongside prominent figures like the Shelley-Byron circle, the Brownings, Florence Nightingale, and the Kemble sisters, Butler highlights the interconnectedness of political advocacy, gender ideologies, national identity, and literary authority in womens travel writing.

Revisiting Italy explores the multifaceted interplay between political activism, gender ideologies, national identity, and literary authority in womens travel writing. It examines how women travelers employed various strategies to promote nationalism, politicize the pilgrimage motif, or revive gothic representations of a revolutionary Italy. The essay recognizes that touristic discourses are inherently temporal and shaped by commercial pressures and the ever-changing political climate both domestically and internationally. By delving into these travel accounts, Revisiting Italy offers a fresh perspective on the complex relationship between tourism, politics, and gender in the Victorian era, highlighting the ways in which women travelers contributed to shaping public perceptions and understanding of Italy during a period of significant political and social transformation.

Weight: 552g
Dimension: 158 x 236 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367459666