The travels of Edward Morgan Forster and Pierre Loti: English and French regards on India

Authors

  • Tagirem Gallego García
Keywords: India, E. M. Forster, Pierre Loti, Identity, Otherness, Travel

Abstract

Both travel writers, Pierre Loti (1850 – 1923) and Edward Morgan Forster (1870 – 1970) saw Europe’s modernization and colonial expansion, but facing this period of change and confidence in the progress of the West, Loti and Forster, among other writers, found other realities in the East thanks to their travels in India, which inspired India (Without the English) (1903) to Loti, and A Passage to India (1924) to Forster. Travelling to India had different motivations, but the whole trip produces a transformation in the travellers, as they acquire new perspectives and experiences. By travelling to India, their visions of the country are different to those reflected in English and French literature of their contemporaries, as well as romantic authors’ who imagined India as a mysterious and exotic land without even visiting it. In this sense, travelling allows the encounter with “the other” and at the same time reflecting on oneself and one’s own culture. Thus, otherness and identity are constant concerns during the journey and in the process of travel writing.

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References

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Published
09-02-2017
How to Cite
Gallego García, T. (2017). The travels of Edward Morgan Forster and Pierre Loti: English and French regards on India. Anales de Filología Francesa, 24, 45–63. Retrieved from https://revistas.um.es/analesff/article/view/282771
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Articles