Background and Proposal for Research

Travel writing is an increasingly popular genre of writing, both on paper and on the internet. Its popularity has increased significantly since the creation of the blogosphere; in fact, Technorati lists 253 popular travel blogs, and that number only accounts for a small percentage of the total being composed on the internet today.  Most of the studies regarding travel writing and its rhetorical effects have been critics of traditional literature; however, there appears to be no significant research being done specifically on the composition of travel blogs.   Critics of travel writing assess its ethos and rhetorical constructs by viewing it generally through critical and cultural theory lenses, in other words, evaluating the socio-political and economic connotations of such writing.  Since scholars seem to focus on the effects of such literature especially in terms of the author’s intent and target audience, it naturally follows that such analysis should be done for travel blogs.  

Considering the scope and popularity of travel blogs, and the increasing accessibility of the internet, it seems necessary to evaluate the constructs that make them so appealing, and to whom they are most attractive.  The fact that they entail and promote an activity that, regardless of the scenario, requires two commodities: time and money.  These are commodities that are not a luxury experienced by every individual, so this suggests that there is an elitist quality, or rather, they could be composed of what Jonathan P.A. Sell calls “wonder text.” This research necessitates such extensive detail as is reflected by the glaring lack of applicable analysis of this ever-growing genre of writing that becomes more popular among web users every day. 

As a popular genre among the internet-savvy population, the significance of this study lies in the evaluation of its many effects on its particular readers. Examining the rhetorical makeup of such sites means determining whether or not there is a propagandistic bias towards those of a higher socio-economic status, or whether these sites merely intend to relate stories as a narrative style merely for exposition.  There is also a question of accessibility, not only because this genre is on the web, but also because of the context by which they are successful on the web may reflect an elitist construct. As an individual who both explores and participates in the blogosphere, and also as an individual with a fascination for travel and the writing that depicts it,  I see it is even more pertinent that there is work done to determine the persuasive mechanisms that may inherently surround the creation of travel blogs.

This blog’s purpose is to annotate working bibliography of relevant sources that will act as both foundation and springboard for this research on travel blogs.  Sources range from texts analyzing travel writing in novel form to blog posts to critical essays focused not only on the genre, but also lifestyle blogging and the rhetorical forms of which they are composed.