Textual Travel: Creating the Homespace and the Search for Belonging in Michael Ondaatje's Running in the Family

Abstract

Generally, history of travel and travel writings has followed a teleo logical route. Journeys to predetermined destinations imaged as linear excur sions across physical and textual landscapes have been a characteristic of both travel and travel writings from time of Herodotus (c. 480 B.G.-c. 425 B.C.) — often called first travel writer (Fussell, 1987:27). Herodotus' History of Persian Wars which follows a chronological sequence gives, in a systematic fashion, copious, detailed descriptions of physical setting and social and cultural customs of countries he visits. These com ments interspersed with comparative observations about other countries impart an air of veracity to his travel account. The same can be said of Strabo's Geographica (written between A.D. 17 and A.D. 23) which is con sidered the most comprehensive ancient work on topographical descrip tion (Fussell, 1987:39). The narrative that recreates Strabo's journeys to Asia, North Africa and a large area of Europe, accumulates detail upon detail to impart a sense of progressive and accurate recording and ren dering of travel experience. In classical times, earth was unmapped (i.e. still free from non symbolic cartographical representations) but through exploration and travel it was also knowable and discovery was an integral part of travel process as it was also a pivotal motif in travel writings. Travel and travel litera ture were governed by techniques and conventions which made for good travel and writing. For example, The Royal Society, founded by Charles II in 1662 as an institution devoted to advancement of scientific knowl