The small Island of St. Kilda off the west coast of Scotland has inspired numerous people throughout the centuries to explore, investigate and describe its nature, history, inhabitants and remoteness.
Martin Martin was the first to give a written first-hand account of his travels to the western Hebrides, when he embarked in May of 1697. Since then many others have followed in his footsteps as recently as 2008, when Kate Humble, Dan Snow and Steve Backshall went to the island for a BBC documentary.
My goal is to show that Martin Martin had a huge influence on those who thematized this remarkable island after him, even transcending genre, by analysing the BBC documentary Britain's Lost World and the feature film The Edge of the World to discover language and images used by Martin Martin. The question to be answered is: Has the language and imagery of Martin Martin persevered throughout the centuries and transcended genres?
In the first chapter I will analyse the different depictions of St. Kilda, its wildlife and inhabitants in the three different texts. The second chapter will compare all of them, show similarities and point out the exact intersections.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- I. Depiction of St. Kilda
- 1. Martin Martin describes the St. Kildans
- 2. Martin Martin describes the island and its wildlife
- 3. Michael Powell's filming of St. Kilda
- 4. British Broadcasting Corporation documentary about St. Kilda
- II. Comparing the three texts
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This study explores the influence of Martin Martin's writings on modern media depictions of the Scottish island of St. Kilda. The study analyzes the BBC documentary “Britain's Lost World” and the feature film “The Edge of the World” to investigate how Martin Martin's language and imagery have persisted throughout the centuries and across different genres. This research aims to understand if Martin Martin's perspective has shaped contemporary understandings of St. Kilda.
- Martin Martin's influence on subsequent depictions of St. Kilda
- The role of language and imagery in shaping cultural perceptions
- The intersection of travel narrative, documentary, and film genres in portraying St. Kilda
- The romanticized depiction of the St. Kildans and their lifestyle
- The enduring influence of Romantic ideals on perceptions of the “other”
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter delves into the depiction of St. Kilda, its inhabitants, and its wildlife within the three analyzed texts. The chapter examines how each text, representing travel narrative, documentary, and film respectively, approaches the subject while highlighting similarities in their descriptions. The focus is on the descriptions themselves, analyzing how they portray the natural features, culture, and lifestyle of the St. Kildans.
The second chapter compares the three texts, focusing on their similarities and highlighting specific intersections. This comparison aims to shed light on the extent to which Martin Martin's perspective has influenced subsequent depictions of St. Kilda across different genres and time periods.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The keywords for this research are: St. Kilda, Martin Martin, travel narrative, documentary, feature film, language, imagery, romanticized depiction, Romantic ideals, cultural perception, “other,” Western Isles of Scotland, Hirta, Solan Geese, gender relations, Celtic culture, pre-romanticism, colonialism, cultural influence.
- Citation du texte
- Markus Jack Dijkgraaf (Auteur), 2012, Martin Martin's Influence on Modern Media About St. Kilda, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/307391
