Dr. Howard Miller joined us on Thursday, May 2 to discuss Victorian travelers and tourists.
What, if anything, is the difference between a “traveler” and a “tourist”? Between an “actual” and an “armchair” traveler or tourist?
Dr. Miller explains all in his lecture. As it turns out, Lew and Sue Wallace acted as both “travelers” and “tourists.” Their writings helped produce a generation of “armchair” tourists. In the travel writings of “Aunt Sue” and Lew’s novels and public lectures, these armchair tourists could encounter lands, peoples, and historical epochs that they would never experience themselves.
Do you recognize the names Lady Hester Stanhope, Ellen Georgiana Tanner, Isabella Bird, and Lady Jane Ellenbrook?
If you didn’t, you’re in good company! Until a month ago, Dr. Miller didn’t recognize those names either! Watch this lecture and discover what these four redoubtable Victorian travelers have in common and how they are connected to Crawfordsville’s own formidable Susan Elston Wallace.
Lew and Susan Wallace: Victorian Travelers and Tourists
Susan and Lew Wallace became celebrated writers at that crucial moment in the late Victorian Era when the modern travel and tourism industry began to emerge in recognizable form.
In this lecture, Dr. Miller discusses the many ways travel and tourism are central to the success of the literary work of both writers. He talks about the Wallaces’ national and international trips. He also touches on the ways travel influenced their writings and contributed to their celebrity. The lecture focuses on the four travel books written by Susan Wallace.
