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Essay / Symbolism in Travel Art
Distinctive representations of the symbiotic relationship between natural landscapes and humans are reinforced through personal and sociocultural contexts. Such representations can be provoked by travel, often renewing an individual's relationships between real, imagined and remembered landscapes, as well as their identity. Alain de Botton's non-fiction, multimodal novel "The Art of Travel" explores in depth personal and esoteric experiences of the sublime landscape, facilitating heightened recognition of the narrator's identity through the eclectic mix of artists and of writers. Similarly, Emily Dickinson's poem "How the Old Mountains Drip with the Sunset" (How the Mountains) explores the overwhelming beauty of nature as an influence on humanity through the perceived image of the sunset by the narrator. Although both texts provoke a deep understanding of an individual's identity, their experience of the landscape is diverse. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay It is human nature for individuals to crave the exploration of exotic landscapes that evoke a sense of appreciation in their lives monotonous which, in turn, reinforces their personality. -awareness. Through the distinctive depiction of the "exotic" landscape in "The Art of Travel," de Botton reveals his appreciation for the beauty that landscapes provide through guides such as Gustave Flaubert to maintain the essay-like structure of the novel. Travel allows individuals to escape their ordinary lives, as shown in de Botton's portrait of Gustave Flaubert, a highly educated French novelist who became attracted to the Orient. Flaubert's need to escape his "sterile, banal, and laborious" life ultimately grants him the ability to appreciate an exotic landscape as it manifests through the list of negative attributes of his current landscape. Flaubert continues with great modality in “dreams of glory, of love, of laurels, of trips to the Orient” where the notion of travel serves as a support for his dreams and his desires to be satisfied. The landscape thus constitutes a support for increased self-awareness. As a result, Dickinson's "How the Mountains" explores the alluring influence of nature on humanity through the poem. The silence of the narrator as she describes nature with admiration through the repetition of “how” in the first stanza, demonstrates her astonishment, appreciation and questioning of the beauty that nature offers. In “A Dome of the Deep Tilts in Solitude,” Dickinson explores in depth personal and esoteric experiences through eclectic allusions to artists and writers, revealing her recognition of nature's ability to surpass even the most skillful, because nature can offer perspectives that art cannot. De Botton and Dickinson's depiction of the symbiotic relationship between exotic landscapes and people and its profound influence on identity extends beyond personal and sociocultural contexts. Individual experiences of nature present the ability to capture insight into life and, inevitably, enhance understanding of their identity. De Botton's depiction of 'On the Country and the Town' reveals that speakers can become artists themselves, as landscapes have the power to inspire and incite our imagination. Through William Wordsworth's guide, he offers a romantic perception of landscapes. “The poet proposed that nature…was a much-needed corrective to the psychological damage inflicted by the city,” as the highly modal and negative language suggests.