Comments on: Can you name some short stories that have traveling as a major element?

By: doshiealan

doshiealan — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:26:59 +0000

Have you considered "Travels with a donkey in the Cevennes." (1879) by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Although not exactly short stories, this account of a 12 day, 120 mile journey, through South Central France, divides naturally into discrete daily doses that are very similar to a succession of short stories on a common theme.

It is considered to be a classic of outdoor literature presenting hiking and camping (We would now call it backpacking.), for the first time, as a recreational activity.
It is extremely well written and it is also very funny.

If you tell your students it was written by the same bloke who wrote "Treasure Island" and "Kidnapped" it might stimulate their curiosity.

I hope this is of some use.
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By: rousseau l

rousseau l — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:45:59 +0000

The Accidental Tourist
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By: calyx156

calyx156 — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:32:59 +0000

1) Heart of Darkness
2) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence by Robert Pirsig, I think it is…
3) Moby Dick
4) The Sheltering Sky
5) anything by Pearl S. Buck
6) Roots?
7) The Painted Veil
Don Quixote
9) There are many others, let me sleep on it and get back to you…
10) Anything w/ a "quest" theme…what about Star Wars or Dr. Who, or The Mists of Avalon so that the feminist view point is well represented? One of my favorite current short novels is The Last Days of Dogtown by Diamant. One of the best senses of "place" I’ve ever read and I do believe it does fit in w/ the idea of travel and of journeying both to find and escape the self (and others).
11) The Pilot’s Wife by Shreve
12) The Road Not Taken by Frost…?
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By: anobium625

anobium625 — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:01:59 +0000

It’s not easy to think of short stories in which traveling, rather than an incident in a foreign country, defines the story. Is London’s "To Build a Fire" traveling? There’s Kipling’s "My Own True Ghost Story," which kids would like. "Heart of Darkness" is too long, isn’t it? What about Hubbard’s "A Message to Garcia." Is it a classic? Kafka’s "A Message from the Emperor" is about a trip that never takes place.

Good question!
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By: steve_geo1

steve_geo1 — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:37:59 +0000

I have read that there are only two kinds of stories: "The Protagonist Makes a Journey" and "The Stranger Comes to Town." The point of what I read was that in the 18th and 19th centuries, women authors tended to write about the latter, because that was their experience.
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By: tullip

tullip — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:10:59 +0000

This is a series a would deffinately recommend it for teens … there are a lot of them so u can split them up per nineweeks.. the books are about king Arthur girls and guys both will i assure u love these books…
1. The Squire’s Tale (1998)
aka Squire Terence and the Maiden’s Knight
2. The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady (1999)
3. The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf (2000)
4. Parsifal’s Page (2001)
5. The Ballad of Sir Dinadan (2003)
6. The Princess, the Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight (2004)
aka Lady Sarah and the Dung-cart Knight
7. The Lioness and Her Knight (2005)
8. The Quest of the Fair Unknown (2006)
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By: AngelFanForever

AngelFanForever — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:29:59 +0000

road virus heads north.
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By: Persiphone_Hellecat

Persiphone_Hellecat — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:16:59 +0000

Hills Like White Elephants, The Snows of Kilimanjaro. The Road is an excellent selection. So is Young Goodman Brown. What about Open Boat instead of The Bride?

Pax – C
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