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Roger Beck on National Identities and Travel in Victorian Marjorie Morgan. National Identities and Travel in Victorian Britain. New York and Houndsmills: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001. x + 271 pp. $65.00, cloth, ISBN 978-0-333-71999-2. Reviewed by Roger Beck Published on H-Albion (October, 2002) Marjorie Morgan, an Associate Professor of en time," in space and time to Europe and Britain History at Southern Illinois University, Carbon‐ and especially to the Victorian era, because it was dale, has also published Manners, Morals and during the mid- and late-nineteenth century that Class in England, 1774-1858 (1994). The present large numbers of middle-class Britons began trav‐ book is the product of many years of reflection eling to Europe and other lands (p. 4). In depart‐ and research, beginning with a year in Britain ing from the current practice of studying the rela‐ gathering material for her dissertation and flling tionship between travel and identity by focusing personal journals with daily impressions. After on the imperial experience in non-European ar‐ completing her dissertation she turned to the eas, Morgan rightly points out that there was an question that had been intriguing her since leav‐ English empire before a British one, anti-Catholi‐ ing Britain: "to use travel writing (published and cism predated Orientalism, and "much of what we non-published) about trips to the Continent and are now terming 'colonial' existed within Europe around Britain to explore components of national itself before there were any overseas colonies" identity imagined by middle- and upper-middle- (pp. 6-7). class men and women from England, Scotland Morgan argues three main points in her book. and Wales during Victoria's reign (1837-1901)" (p. First, people found their national identity more 3). Her goal, she writes, is to "reveal what travel‐ often in everyday images and material goods, ers from each of the main regions of Britain had such as landscape, manners, and religious rituals, in mind when they used such items as 'British', than they did in less frequently experienced state- 'English', 'Scotch', and 'Welsh' to imagine and de‐ sponsored pageantry and propaganda. Second, scribe themselves collectively" (p. 4). rather than claiming a single national identity as Morgan limits her study of "how the 'us', or "British subjects," people often embraced multiple national group imagined, depended on the 'them', and varying national identities depending on con‐ or the Other, encountered by travelers at any giv‐ text: "British" while on the continent, English, H-Net Reviews Scotch, or Welsh when traveling in Britain itself. also identified with a localized English, Scottish or Morgan suggests that there were at least four dif‐ Welsh landscape as opposed to a more overarch‐ ferent identities in Great Britain in the Victorian ing British or Celtic one." Second, and quite inter‐ era, and fve if Ireland is included. Here she de‐ estingly, Morgan argues that the physical position parts from the work of Linda Colley, Eric Evans, a people choose to adopt "when viewing and ap‐ and Gerald Newman.[1] Third, Morgan moderates preciating landscape" is as important as the land‐ recent scholarship that stresses "how nations and scape itself. People from all parts of Britain pre‐ national identity are inventions constructed at ferred "looking down rather than out across or up particular moments in time, rather than givens at landscape." Third, that there is a "close relation‐ existing since time immemorial." She argues in‐ ship, or mutual influence, between a nation's stead that national identities are a blending of landscape and its people, such that they come to "age old stereotypes continually invested with exhibit similar qualities, at least in people's new meanings" (pp. 4-5). minds." This was perhaps most true of the Eng‐ Chapter 1 begins with a thoughtful discussion lish, and to a lesser extent the Scots. Fourth, while of the meaning of travel and of "travel as doing the Scots and Welsh preferred majestic settings, four things, particularly to travelers, but some‐ the English, following their perception of them‐ times to those they encounter as well: estranging, selves and their own landscape, sought "restraint transforming, liberating and unsettling" (pp. 10-3). and moderateness," and were adverse to the dra‐ Morgan then turns to the mechanics of travel as matic, majestic, and extreme" (pp. 46-7). she discusses everything from Thomas Cook's frst In chapter 3 Morgan looks at religion, begin‐ cheap excursion in 1841 to handbooks for "travel‐ ning with a discussion of the link between Protes‐ ers" who sought "authentic" experiences as op‐ tantism and national identity, and between posed to "tourists" who trod the well-worn paths. Protestant patriotism and anti-Catholic senti‐ British travelers' penchant for quantifying their ments. The frst few pages of the chapter place journeys, by time (nine cities in a fortnight) and Protestantism and anti-Catholicism in their histor‐ detail (208 staircases in St. Peter's) is discussed, as ical context. Morgan also delineates the different are their passports, their drawing boxes (they forms of Protestantism found in England, Scot‐ were "passionate sketchers"), and their powders, land and Wales, and how these affected local chemicals, and spirits for "doing battle with the identities. Quite frequently, however, "Protes‐ unnerving European entomological world and for tantism" referred to secular qualities, such as edu‐ dealing with medical matters" (pp. 18-9). This cation, rational inquiry, open-mindedness, and chapter contains a wealth of fascinating anec‐ enlightenment. These qualities contrasted sharply dotes, well-placed quotes, and revealing depic‐ with Victorian travelers' perceptions of "Catholi‐ tions of the modes and rigors of travel a century cism," which they viewed as lacking a spirit of in‐ and more ago. quiry and toleration. Domestic morality, cleanli‐ Chapter 2 focuses on "landscape and climate." ness, an enterprising spirit, and prosperity were In this chapter Morgan makes a strong case for also attributes attributed to Protestants that were her argument that there were at least four differ‐ found wanting in Catholics. Morgan ranges widely ent identities people of Great Britain could choose in her analysis of Protestant travelers' perceptions depending on context. She elaborates on four key of Catholicism on the Continent, including their themes that inform the chapter. First, "landscape lack of respect for Catholic priests and nuns, ser‐ is an integral part of national identity," although vices, and worshippers. Morgan concludes this Morgan found that generally "Victorian travellers chapter by looking at British traveler's observa‐ tions about religion when traveling within 2 H-Net Reviews Britain, and then English Catholics' views while lieves that "national identity formation is not sim‐ traveling on the continent. ply a matter of inventing and artificially con‐ Morgan begins chapter 4 on "Customs, Com‐ structing something new. National identity often fort and Class" with a personal anecdote about rests on age-old outlooks and traditions which are her own travels to England and the continent, and continually invested with new meanings depend‐ it is in this chapter that the reader could most ing on circumstances" (p. 157). Here Morgan likely relate their own similar experiences and in‐ shows how the meaning of "liberty" evolved over sights while traveling. Here the "minutiae of daily the centuries, comprising at times Protestantism, life that Victorian travellers identified as English, various elements of the landscape (trees, wind, Scottish, Welsh or British," is explored including free-ranging cattle, the surrounding water, and food and drink, manners, and recreation (p. 121). accessible countryside and mountains), national Through travelers' journals, Morgan concludes for prosperity (John Bull's robustness), and a specific example that meat, milk, and butter were consid‐ system of government. Morgan points out, howev‐ ered indispensable by both the English and Scots, er, that while "liberty" was an important indicator but that the "English even more than the Scots of national identity, Victorian travelers on the identified passionately with tea" (p. 122). English continent, particularly women, found many as‐ reserve is evident in their negative reaction to the pects of life in Europe very liberating, and came "warmth and exuberance [of] social exchanges on to associate British "moral and social conventions the Continent," as is the English desire for privacy with nothing short of tyranny" (p. 169). Such con‐ revealed by the differences in names for country ventions included the social hierarchy in England, homes in Holland ("Our Contentment") and Eng‐ the "pressures of pretentious living," ostentatious land ("Towers") (pp. 129-30). In discussing leisure lifestyles, constraints on personal grooming and activities, Morgan includes an interesting and ex‐ dress, and a perceived lack of mental and moral tensive analysis of the different views the Scots, individuality. Morgan spends several pages dis‐ English, and Welsh had, and that they believed cussing the entries in women travelers' journals their neighbors on the Continent had, toward edu‐ to show how they came to recognize how English cation, singing, poetry, formal exercise and sport, conventions and laws limited their freedom and the home, and social rankings. denied them opportunities. The chapter concludes by describing the ways language and history both In her ffth chapter Morgan questions the re‐ united
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