UNLVERSITY OF CALGARY The Traveler' s Hybris Tom Maximillian Fedenczuk A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE DMSION OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH CALGARY, ALBERTA MAY, 2001 0 Tom Maximillian Fedenczuk 2001 Natiorial Libmy Bibiiithèque nationale Mm dcamda du Canada uisitions and Acquisitions el "tBib mgtaphic Services senrices bibïiographiques The author has grimted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence aiiowing the exclunve permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distriilbute or seli reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de midche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur fomiat électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propdté du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni Ia thése ai des dtssubstantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABSTRACT In Greek lierature, a person's Moira (Fate) was a personal bounky of character. 'Trying to be someone you're not' was considerd a transgression (Hybris) of this boundary, and resulted in punishment (Nemesis). This thesis explores the topic of transgression by modem day travelers, who 'take fate into their own hands' and step away f?om their middle class destinies to follow their individual dreams and aspirations. It will examine this topic through a series of sources, which include classical narratives, 'real life' traveler nmtives, and Puer / Senex characteristics. How to RadThis Test If during the reading of this thesis you find yourself asking the question "So what's your poim:?' then you are approachhg this text fkom the wrong perspective. This thesis does not bave a point or a question. It has a topic. The difference is that with a point or question, a text tries to answer or say somethulg specific. With a topic, a text tries to explore and narmte about the ideas, issues, and philosophies surmunding that topic. This 'topdogy' of a topic does not lead us to an answer. Instead the topology considers what (and how) is surrounding, infiuencing, and affecting that topic. It is a discussion of elements and their relationships. Consider approaching this thesis in a similar way that you would a biographical novel. Eyou were to rda biographical novel for an answer or a point, you wouid sunly be a)fiustrated and b)rniss out on a lot of learning and experience. The learning and experience is not about facts, figures, and conclusions. Instead it is about encounteriag and understanding new ideas, people, and in this case, perspectives. You will also find that the text sometimes gets 'sidetnicked'. This is done on purpose, and will be explained in the introduction, which, true to form, gets sidetracked. Don't worry if an idea or an understanding cornes to you that you think was not intended; it's part of the intent. Some Conventions For the most part, the narratives told by traveler are italicized. Al1 quotations use "double quotation marks." 'Single quotation' marks are used for special terms, quotations within quotations, or common phrases or assumptions. The last of these is used often since this thesis tries to evoke the histoncal and philosophical assumptions fiom behind the wmmon phrases. I express apprrciation and thanks to the following people: To Dr. Hunter and and Dr. Clark, who took me under their wings and patiently allowed me to explore the various faculties: gathering ideas and concepts for their approd - to rny surprise, they always did. Dr. Hunter had an office on the fourteenth flwr, and since the elevator only went to the thirteenth, 1 would have to climb the last flight of stairs to reach him. The climb was symbolic enough that I once had a Jungian dream of it while dering a fever in Indonesia. Dr. Clark challenged me to pursue a genuine topic at a crucial point in writing this thesis. niank yoy both. From the Classics department, 1 would like to thank Dr. Hume and Dr. Westra. In my first year of undergraduate studies, Dr. Westra, a great orator, broke my preoccupation with my moming coffee by reading with a resounding voice for the first twenty minutes of each lecture, excerpts from the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Odyssey, and other classics. Many years later, 1 went back to him for help with the classical part of this thesis. To my supervisor, Dr. David Jardine, who put aside his research interests and listened to my narratives in a genuine effort to address them. 1 am most impressed by how much of what he writes about? he actually incoiporates into his work, fmily, and daily life. To Eva-Mane Nosal, for proof reading the entire thesis in its earliest and most confusing state! Finally 1 would like to thank al1 of the travelers and mentors that I have encountered dong my journeys. Thank you for your stories, challenges, and insights. I hope we will continue to meet under distant skies. DEDICATION To Leon and Kristina, my supportive parents, who let me speak with strangers. Zeus: It is astonishing how ready mortals are to blame the gods. It is fiom us, they Say, that evils corne, but they even by themselves, through theu own blind foiiy, have sorrows beyond thaî which is ordained. Homer, The Odvssev CHAPTER 1- INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Peter "Weil" sturted Peter "'ajter Ifinished kàw schooi and wtzcied, I stmted my own smaIlpractke and dd that for about 4 pars. men we (Zymt md I) pked up the hm d ki&, bought a buai, and saiied for three years. Next, we came back to Toronto for about four years, and then lefi again and dedfor seven years. Now we 've kenbock for about sixyearsmdwe'iisee. " Kbt do you suy to thut? iYhCll do ym sqto a matter of fact statement 3poken in a manner as ifnorhing out of the ordinîuy had happened? The firsf thing that came to my mirad was to ask "weI.what about the business and the clients ym built up? " 'Y ciosed the business" replied Peter, once again in a matter of facf fashion. "So whor didyou do when yar cmne back the first time? " "Sfartedfiomscratch" 'Andwhen you Ieft the secorad time?" "Closed it down again, adthen started it up aguîn when we came back. '" I tharght, "llurr 's crazy, tht's impossible - he haF to have sornething thal he 's not talkng about". I war witnesring a corruption of my common matives about the 'progression of lije '. My mutives were corrupted by a new kind of m&e: a mative of trmsgression by a fraveier. I use the word 'corruption ' because that is whî it feit lik. It was a breaking of the most common assumptions about 'how ive worh. ' Even in grade Zen, when I met Peter, I 'knew ' whar I needed fo do in order to cto well in life. Z trad toflnish school, go to universiîy, maybe take a year ogto trclveI, but better to get rny ymt in the dmr' with a 'not S.glamoraus'job in orrier tu 'gain experience ', so thut @er a fav years I couldget a goodposition, with good benefit. Inrough this pracess I warld be able to retire with security and 'enjoy my final years. ' This is especially true in Peter's profession. Everybdy knows thifyai take law. you will hove to (m a lm student sarsar4''go through hell in lmschod. work 60 hour weeks wticiing, and then pend several yens doing grunt work before ya, develop 2 a client base. On& rhen rio ymet making reai money. " 1felf like tellntg this to Peter, @ in case he clid not drsland it. 1felt like telhg him th"Ive is not like that ", but il was too Ime. Peter seemed to have done it already. When I was seven, my mother tofd me a story ahut the hble bee unà how. according to science. it is not supposed to fly due to its smuli wzngs and herny bw.Yet the armble bee dmsfi. The reason, my rnother exploned. is that it does not know lhal it is not supposed tom mis is whaî I felt like when lisrening to Peter. 1feit like grabbing the bumbie bee and qlaining to it thor it could notfly. 1nstead, the btmtbie bee sn«tg me with his ll~117utive.mad 1was inflamed Moira Moira, in Homeric literature, was the terni used to explain a person's personal boundaries. Moua was who he was 'fated' to be. Thus a commoner was fated to remain a wmmoner, and a king a king. The same held for a hero, dutiful husband, titan, or god. Al1 would be well so long as he did not try to be something he was not. Thus a commoner should not stnve to be a noble, nor could a hero 'fa11 back' to be a commonerl. Any action that contradicted whatlwho he was (Moira), was considered to be an act of hybris (transgression) and was quickly punished with Nemesis (retribution). Our topic is the transgression of Moira by modem travelers. It is the topology that we will travel across and stop to consider, inspect, and most importantly, 'live in' for a period of time. We will read this topic through a series of sources, which include classical narratives, traveler narratives, and Puer/Senex characteristics. Peter is an example of a traveler.