'Places Of Longing': The Escapist motif in the works of Garland, Sutcliffe and Krakauer

Master's Thesis , 2013 , 87 Pages , Grade: 1,3

English Language and Literature Studies - Literature

[...] In today‘s fleeting, globalized world, people more than ever seem to feel at odds with
themselves. They escape wherever and whenever they can – from the workplace, from the
mundane duties of everyday existence, from social pressure and expectations, from each
other. Escape from reality is not a new concept, for mankind’s „innate dissatisfaction with
existence“, as Evans calls it, is probably almost as old as existence itself. In the 21st century
however, the possibilities of retreat are endless and pervade every aspect of life. Digital
entertainment has become abundant and, ironically, almost inescapable, while mass media
carries the viewer off to exotic places without him even having to leave the house. Amidst this
virtual word, the modern wanderlust has found its place. Entire legions of travelers move on
to remote places, in search of relaxation, diversion and the solution to their unfulfilled
yearnings for utopian landscapes.
In his essay The Rationality of Escapism and Self-Deception, Longeway defines escapism as
“the attempt to avoid awareness of aversive beliefs.” He goes on to say that
’Escapist’ entertainment’s essential purpose is to draw us away from our everyday troubles,
and, sometimes, to help us to fantasize ourselves as better, more important, and better off than
we really are. Indulgence in such entertainment helps us avoid, temporarily, unpleasant truths
that we must live with, and it is this escape from unpleasant reality that gives us the terms
‘escapist’ and ‘escapism’.
The notion of escapism evokes a whole chain of terms and concepts directly connected to it;
repression, distraction, travel, leisure, self-discovery and, of course, places, imagined or real, to whom the individual wishes to escape to.
In this paper, I want to analyze three books on escapism and the various ways in which it
presents itself in them. My focus will be on Alex Garland’s backpacker cult novel The Beach and William Sutcliffe’s debunking of the gap-year traveler in Are You Experienced?, as well
as Jon Krakauer’s non-fiction book Into The Wild. The first two belong to backpacker fiction,
a genre that emerged particularly forcefully at the turn of the 21st century. The authors of
these narratives employ satire in order to debunk the escapism and self-fashioning of a
demographic of young, urban, Anglophone travelers who exert traveling mostly as a staged
interest for other cultures, while in truth they seek self-fulfillment and self-gratification. [...]

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• 1. Literary aspects
  • 1.1 Influences of the 'Bildungsroman'
    • 1.1.1 definition
    • 1.1.2 Into the Wild (1996)
    • 1.1.3 The Beach (1997) and Are You Experienced? (1997)
  • 1.2 Influences of travel literature
    • 1.2.1 Are You Experienced? - India
    • 1.2.2 The Beach - South-East Asia as Africa
    • 1.2.3 Into The Wild - North America
      • 1.2.3.1 Emerson and Thoreau
      • 1.2.3.2 Jack Kerouac
      • 1.2.3.3 Jack London
  • 1.3 Unreliable Narration
    • 1.3.1 definition
    • 1.3.2 Richard in The Beach
    • 1.3.3 Dave in Are You Experienced?
• 2. Cultural aspects
  • 2.1 Escape through travel
    • 2.1.1 the construction of authenticity in The Beach and Are You Experienced?
    • 2.1.2 the hyper-real of The Beach
    • 2.1.3 terra incognita in Into the Wild and Lonely Planet in The Beach & Are You Experienced?
  • 2.2 Escape into Drugs
    • 2.2.1 cannabis as familiar patterns of consumption in The Beach
    • 2.2.2 cannabis as a sign of civilization in Are You Experienced?
  • 2.3 Danny Boyle's The Beach (2000)
    • 2.3.1 adaptation – book versus movie
    • 2.3.2 the visualization of paradise
    • 2.3.3 the ending
  • 2.4 Sean Penn's Into The Wild (2007)
    • 2.4.1 politics and the aesthetics of 'indie' cinema
    • 2.4.2 structure, voice and literary influence
    • 2.4.3 moral ambiguity
• Conclusion
• Bibliography

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This master's thesis analyzes the escapist motif in the works of Alex Garland, William Sutcliffe, and Jon Krakauer. It investigates how escapism manifests in their respective narratives, exploring its literary and cultural implications. The thesis aims to provide a deeper understanding of the escapist tendencies prevalent in contemporary society, specifically among young, urban travelers. Key themes explored in the thesis include:

• The influences of the Bildungsroman and travel literature on escapist narratives
• The role of unreliable narration in shaping the perception of escapism
• The construction of authenticity and the hyper-real in escapist experiences
• The use of drugs as a means of escape and its cultural significance
• The relationship between travelers and tourists, particularly in relation to their escapist motivations

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

This section summarizes the main themes and arguments presented in each chapter:

• **Introduction:** This chapter provides a broad overview of the topic, exploring the concept of escapism in contemporary society and its historical context. The chapter introduces the three authors under examination: Alex Garland, William Sutcliffe, and Jon Krakauer. It also outlines the structure and key areas of focus for the thesis.
• **1. Literary aspects:** This chapter delves into the literary influences shaping the escapist narratives analyzed in the thesis. It examines the genre of the Bildungsroman and its relevance to the themes of personal development and self-discovery prevalent in the selected works. The chapter also explores the connections between the narratives and various forms of travel literature, including colonial subtext and nature writing.
• **2. Cultural aspects:** This chapter focuses on the cultural contexts surrounding escapism, exploring the complexities of authenticity and the hyper-real in travel experiences. It examines the role of drugs as a means of escape and analyzes the dynamics between travelers and tourists.
• **2.3 Danny Boyle's The Beach (2000):** This chapter analyzes the film adaptation of Alex Garland's The Beach, comparing the film's narrative and themes to those of the novel. It explores the visual representations of paradise and the differences in the ending of the two works.
• **2.4 Sean Penn's Into The Wild (2007):** This chapter analyzes Sean Penn's film adaptation of Jon Krakauer's Into The Wild. It examines the political and aesthetic aspects of the film, its structure, voice, and literary influences. The chapter also explores the moral ambiguity surrounding the film's protagonist.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The core concepts and terms addressed in this master's thesis include: escapism, Bildungsroman, travel literature, unreliable narration, authenticity, hyper-real, drugs, travelers, tourists, film adaptation, and cultural analysis. The work investigates the interplay of these elements in shaping the escapist narratives of Alex Garland, William Sutcliffe, and Jon Krakauer.

• College: http://www.uni-jena.de/ (Anglistik/Amerikanistik)
• Grade: 1,3
• Author: Hannes Krehan (Author)
• Publication Year: 2013
• Pages: 87
• Catalog Number: V262597
• ISBN (eBook): 9783656508373
• Language: English
• Tags: places, longing, escapist, garland, sutcliffe, krakauer