In the context of travel writing, these ideas can be seen in a recent book edited by Gregory and Duncan (1999, 2) in which it was succinctly observed that the essays in the collection dealt as much with the "production of a space of knowledge," as the "production of a space of power," in the sense that the new discoveries led to European political or economic domination in the newly discovered are [...] The discus- sion shows that the translation of the experiences of the explorer into the apparently static and timeless written words of the book that records the xiii exploration cannot be seen as a series of mimetic statements about the areas explored — statements of authority because they were the first words written about the new lands. [...] The dual objectives of this book led to the decision to separate the work into two main sections: Part A, dealing with the broader issues of exploration writing, and Part B with the rest of the chapters that review the specific case of James. [...] This discussion forms Part A of the book, composed of Chapters 2 and 3. The new approaches to the interpretation of the narratives of exploration, reviewed in Part A, contrast with the older geographical and historical approaches, which normally focused on the results of explorations, and tended to view the texts as empirical statements of what was seen. [...] This is a discourse that relates as much to the cultural meanings and preferences of the world of the explorer, to the encoding of positions of dominance and subservience in the writings, as to the lands discovered and the effect of the discoveries upon these areas, as well as the fact that explorers may be trying to entertain, perhaps even to astonish the reader with their experiences.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references: p. 298-308
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 910/.9163/27
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 22
- General Note
- Co-published by the Arctic Institute of North America Includes index Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- ISBN
- 1552380629 9781552384817
- LCCN
- G640
- LCCN Item number
- D295 2004eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaBNVSL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xvi, 317 p.)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)gtp00521649 (OCoLC)180704041 (CaOOCEL)402769
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaBNVSL
Table of Contents
- Contents 8
- List of Figures and Tables 10
- Preface 11
- 1 Captain Thomas James: The Case for Re-assessment 20
- 1. Introduction 21
- 2. Traditional Studies of Exploration 22
- 3. James and the Discovery of Hudson Bay 26
- 4. James and Canadian Literature 32
- 5. James and the Anglo-Welsh tradition 37
- 6. Subsequent Organization 39
- PART A: INTERPRETING EXPLORATION NARRATIVES 42
- 2 Exploration Writing and Literary Concepts 44
- 1. Introduction 45
- 2. Exploration, Travel and Literature 47
- 3. Divergence of Exploration Writing and Literature 52
- 4. The Power or Literal Advantage of Writing Cultures 56
- 5. Alternative Functions of Exploration Narratives 60
- 6. Interpretation in Exploration and Travel Writing 63
- 7. New Perspectives for Exploration Writing 68
- 8. Conclusions 84
- 3 Interpreting Exploration: The Three Stages of Construction 90
- 1. Introduction 91
- 2. Cognitive Construction 96
- 3. The Construction of the Narrative 121
- 4. The Readership Construction 155
- 5. Themes in Exploration Literature 163
- PART B: EVALUATING THE WORK OF CAPTAIN THOMAS JAMES 172
- 4 The Lure of the Northwest Passage: Preparation and Journey 174
- 1. Introduction 175
- 2. Previous Welsh Connections 179
- 3. The Threat of a London Venture 182
- 4. Bristol Prepares its Own Expedition 187
- 5. James's Early Life 192
- 6. James's Voyage 199
- 5 Locational Identification and Cognition 206
- 1. Introduction 207
- 2. Establishing Location 209
- 3. Mapping and the Question of the Northwest Passage 217
- 4. Labelling the Land 221
- 5. Experiencing the Land 224
- 6. Identifying and Measuring Environmental Conditions 226
- 6 Interpretation and Representation 232
- 1. Introduction 233
- 2. Purpose of the Narrative 233
- 3. Power Relationships 237
- 4. Organization and Style 245
- 5. Aesthetics and Environmental Representation 259
- 6. Interpreting the Environmental Processes 260
- 7. Representation of Aboriginal Peoples 264
- 7 Instrumental Functions 268
- 1. Introduction 269
- 2. Subsequent Utility 270
- 3. Changing Purpose: From Journey to Narrative 272
- 4. Stimulation of Others 276
- 5. Cultural Self-Reflection 288
- 6. Personal Results: James's Later Life 290
- 8 A Passage Not Found: Passages Created 294
- 1. Introduction 295
- 2. James and his Critics 297
- 3. Exploration and Scientific Achievements 303
- 4. Literary Significance 306
- 5. Conclusions 314
- References 317
- Index 328
- A 328
- B 328
- C 329
- D 329
- E 330
- F 330
- G 331
- H 331
- I 332
- J 332
- K 332
- L 333
- M 333
- N 333
- O 334
- P 334
- Q 334
- R 335
- S 335
- T 336
- V 336
- W 336
- Y 337
- Z 337
