North American Women in Iceland: Travel Writing, and Domestic Feminism, 1866-1939

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, dozens of travel narratives about Iceland appeared in the United States. The majority of these were written by and for men and women of the wealthier, upper class, as those were the only Americans who could afford to make the long journey to Ice...

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Main Author: Zachary Melton
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Alberta Library 2024-12-01
Series:Scandinavian-Canadian Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://scancan.net/index.php/scancan/article/view/261
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author Zachary Melton
author_facet Zachary Melton
author_sort Zachary Melton
collection DOAJ
description In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, dozens of travel narratives about Iceland appeared in the United States. The majority of these were written by and for men and women of the wealthier, upper class, as those were the only Americans who could afford to make the long journey to Iceland. However, as the costs of steamship travel became more affordable, a more economically diverse collection of American tourists began visiting Iceland. In many cases, middle-class American women would journey to Iceland and then share their experiences by giving lectures and talks in social clubs, writing articles in more female-focused periodicals like Ladies’ Home Companion, or to giving interviews in their hometown newspapers. In this paper, I will explore the “feminine” space of the social club and the role it played in the perception of Iceland among middle class American women.
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series Scandinavian-Canadian Studies
spelling doaj-art-70aefd31288e4bfab7b470de342546132025-08-20T02:34:46ZengUniversity of Alberta LibraryScandinavian-Canadian Studies0823-17962816-51872024-12-013110.29173/scancan261North American Women in Iceland: Travel Writing, and Domestic Feminism, 1866-1939Zachary Melton0University of Iceland In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, dozens of travel narratives about Iceland appeared in the United States. The majority of these were written by and for men and women of the wealthier, upper class, as those were the only Americans who could afford to make the long journey to Iceland. However, as the costs of steamship travel became more affordable, a more economically diverse collection of American tourists began visiting Iceland. In many cases, middle-class American women would journey to Iceland and then share their experiences by giving lectures and talks in social clubs, writing articles in more female-focused periodicals like Ladies’ Home Companion, or to giving interviews in their hometown newspapers. In this paper, I will explore the “feminine” space of the social club and the role it played in the perception of Iceland among middle class American women. https://scancan.net/index.php/scancan/article/view/261gendertravel writingIcelandIceland tourismfeminism
spellingShingle Zachary Melton
North American Women in Iceland: Travel Writing, and Domestic Feminism, 1866-1939
Scandinavian-Canadian Studies
gender
travel writing
Iceland
Iceland tourism
feminism
title North American Women in Iceland: Travel Writing, and Domestic Feminism, 1866-1939
title_full North American Women in Iceland: Travel Writing, and Domestic Feminism, 1866-1939
title_fullStr North American Women in Iceland: Travel Writing, and Domestic Feminism, 1866-1939
title_full_unstemmed North American Women in Iceland: Travel Writing, and Domestic Feminism, 1866-1939
title_short North American Women in Iceland: Travel Writing, and Domestic Feminism, 1866-1939
title_sort north american women in iceland travel writing and domestic feminism 1866 1939
topic gender
travel writing
Iceland
Iceland tourism
feminism
url https://scancan.net/index.php/scancan/article/view/261
work_keys_str_mv AT zacharymelton northamericanwomeninicelandtravelwritinganddomesticfeminism18661939