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Analyzing a Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain Luís Pedro Maia Silva

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Analyzing a Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain Luís Pedro Maia Silva An Intercultural trip down the Old Continent – Analyzing A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain Luís Pedro Maia Silva Master's Dissertation Master’s degree in Intercultural Studies for Business Final Version (This version contains the jury’s input and suggestions) Porto – 2019 INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE CONTABILIDADE E ADMINISTRAÇÃO DO PORTO INSTITUTO POLITÉCNICO DO PORTO An Intercultural trip down the Old Continent – Analyzing A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain Luís Pedro Maia Silva Master's Dissertation Presented to Instituto de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto for the grade of Master’s degree in Intercultural Studies for Business, with the guidance of Doutora Carina Cerqueira Porto – 2019 INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE CONTABILIDADE E ADMINISTRAÇÃO DO PORTO INSTITUTO POLITÉCNICO DO PORTO Abstract: The present thesis is based on the literary analysis of the 19th Century Intercultural Travel book A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain. In it, I approach a particular set of topics that are associated with the multiple fields studied throughout my degree, such as the characterization of various cultures, the contextualization of said cultures at the time (in this case study, the 19th Century), the first signs of touristic traveling, intercultural concepts as the formation of stereotypes or various forms of prejudice, and the construction of cultural identities, firstly introduced by Stuart Hall. Using a structured analysis, I start my dissertation by reading and interpreting the book that will serve as a main reference: A Tramp Abroad (1880), by Mark Twain. I present a brief biography of Mark Twain, with a description of some of the author’s main personal and professional accomplishments. With that, an historical contextualization of the author and the book that leads to a much deeper and enlightening recognition of the man and writer behind one of the most remarkable intercultural works in Western literary history. I also present a detailed analysis of A Tramp Abroad, with a brief summary of all chapters, appendixes, and characters of the book. From there, I select three of the most interculturally relevant chapters. This selection allows me to reflect, interpret, and display my argumentation based on the concepts within the realm of the study of interculturality, stereotypes, prejudice, and the formation of identity – theoretical observations cemented on a myriad of authors and cientific works within this area of study. Finally, as the analysis of a travel book is exhibited, it is important to understand the concept of tourism as well as the notion of a literary text (within this thematic context). Consequently, this thesis will also contemplate the history and cultural significance of touristic travel and the definitions of literature, literary text, and language as they all reveal themselves to have a valuable contribution to the connection that is ought to be made between the real-life experiences described by Mark Twain and the main theories and study areas related to this degree. Key words: Interculturality; Mark Twain; Travel Literature; Stereotypes; Identity Formation. ii Resumo: A presente tese tem como base a análise literária do livro de viagens intercultural do século XIX A Tramp Abroad, de Mark Twain. Nela, são abordados um conjunto particular de tópicos que estão naturalmente associados aos campos de estudo do meu mestrado, como a caracterização de várias culturas, a contextualização das referidas culturas na época (neste caso de estudo, no século XIX), as primeiras viagens turísticas, questões interculturais como a formação de estereótipos ou várias formas de preconceito, e ainda a construção de identidades culturais, introduzidas primeiramente por Stuart Hall. Recorrendo a uma análise estruturada, iniciarei a minha dissertação com a leitura e interpretação do livro que servirá como principal referência: A Tramp Abroad (1880), de Mark Twain. Apresento uma breve biografia do autor, onde evidencio alguns dos seus principais feitos pessoais e profissionais. Com ela, uma contextualização histórica do autor e da sua obra que me conduz a um reconhecimento mais profundo e elucidativo do homem e escritor que produziu umas das obras interculturais mais marcantes do história literária ocidental. Apresento ainda uma análise detalhada de A Tramp Abroad, com um breve resumo de todos os capítulos, apêndices e personagens do livro. A partir desse estudo, selecciono três dos capítulos que considero mais interculturalmente relevantes. Esta selecção permite-me reflectir, interpretar, e apresentar argumentação sobre conceitos no âmbito dos estudos da interculturalidade, dos estereótipos, do preconceito e da formação da identidade - observações teóricas cimentadas na leitura de diversos autores e obras científicas canónicas na área. Por último, tratando-se de um livro de viagens, é fundamental entender o conceito de turismo, bem como a noção de texto literário (agregado ao seu enquadramento temático). Consequentemente, a presente tese contemplará também a história e o significado cultural das viagens turísticas e as definições de literatura, texto literário e linguagem, uma vez que todas elas são uma valiosa contribuição para a ligação interpretativa que pode e deve ser feita entre as vivências reais descritas por Mark Twain, e as principais teorias e áreas de estudo relacionadas com este mestrado. Palavras-chave: Interculturalidade; Mark Twain; Literatura de Viagens; Estereótipos; Formação da Identidade. iii Acknowledgments My warm and heartfelt gratitude to my family and friends for all the emotional support. To Professora Carina Cerqueira for the availability, motivation, useful advice and words of wisdom provided throughout this journey. To ISCAP and all my professors during these 5 years studying in the institution, for all the opportunities for me to enrich my knowledge. Thank You! iv Index 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 2. Life of Twain – The Origins of “the Father of American Literature” ................................... 5 2.1. Introducing Samuel Clemens ........................................................................................ 6 2.1.1 Leaving Hannibal and piloting steamboats (1853-1861) ............................................. 7 2.1.2. A mining prospector in Nevada and a reporter on the West Coast (1861-1866) ........ 7 2.1.3. A journey to the Holy Land (1866-1867) .................................................................... 8 2.1.4. The beginning of a prominent literary career (1868-1869) ......................................... 9 2.1.5. Marriage and family concerns (1870-1873) .............................................................. 10 2.1.6. Writing novels (1873-1877) ...................................................................................... 10 2.1.7. Traveling Europe and an entrepreneurial adventure (1878-1890)............................. 11 2.1.8. Financial troubles and living in Europe (1891-1894)................................................ 12 2.1.9. A worldwide adventure (1895-1896) ........................................................................ 13 2.1.10. Back in Europe (1896-1900) ................................................................................... 13 2.1.11. Home at last (1900) ................................................................................................. 14 2.1.12. The final chapter (1908-1910) ................................................................................. 14 2.2. The Art of Describing the World ................................................................................ 16 2.3. A Book on European Explorations .............................................................................. 19 3. A Tramp Abroad – An Intercultural Book........................................................................... 27 3.1. Chapter Description..................................................................................................... 28 3.2. Character Description .................................................................................................. 37 3.3. Chapter Analysis ......................................................................................................... 39 4. Literary Methodologies – The process of Analyzing A Tramp Abroad .............................. 52 5. Traveling for Intercultural Experiences .............................................................................. 58 5.1. Exploring the Boundaries of Tourism ......................................................................... 59 5.2. Tourism as an Ancient Practice ................................................................................... 61 6. Understanding our Identity .................................................................................................. 67 7. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 74 References ................................................................................................................................... 77 v List of Tables Table 1 – Chapter Description .................................................................................................... 28 Table 2 – Character Description .................................................................................................. 37 vi List of Figures Figure 1 – A Tramp Abroad Itinerary Map. ...............................................................................
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