Travel Monomyth Summary

Northrop Fry calls modern travel book a myth. This myth resembles the classic monomyth of heroic adventure defined by Campbell. The hero of Campbell’s myth should have three traits to complete his journey successfully-

First, the setting out, the disjunction from the familiar; second, the trials of initiation and adventure; and third, the return and the hero’s reintegration into society. (Fussell 1950: 110)

The hero sets out for his desired destination leaving behind the entire familiar world. Then he undergoes problems and hardships during his voyages yet turns out to be a successful voyager. Finally he comes home with a new perceived knowledge to be a part of his familiar world. The general view considers travel narratives to be objective, scientific and true representative of history, society, geography and culture. Evidently, travel narratives are loaded with fictional elements. Fussell considers travel writing as a “creative meditation

While travelling and describing his experiences, travel writer works as a proxy to the readers. They explore the world on behalf of their readers to bring back all the fantasy and reality of the places that most people are unwilling to out and see for themselves. It gratifies readers’ curiosity by bringing them to other parts of the world in the writing. The readers can see and experience the unfamiliar and different world through travel writing narratives. The patriarchal and imperialist undercurrents of travel writing—analyzed by critics like Mary Louise Pratt, Sara Mills, David Spurr, Tim Youngs, and, most recently, Inderpal Grewal— suggest that an unsuspecting view of travel writing as a mode to celebrate human freedom needs to be allied to the modern realities of class, race, and gender privilege (Holland 1943: 3). In his recent study of modern British travel writing, Mark Cocker