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"Walking" to Maine: romantic myths in Appalachian Trail memoirs

Cantor, Renee Sarah (2022) "Walking" to Maine: romantic myths in Appalachian Trail memoirs. Undergraduate Thesis, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

In American cultural perspectives toward nature, there exist two entwined principal tenets—the romantic myth of wild nature and the myth of the self-reliant individual—which stem from the philosophy of American Romanticism and Transcendentalism. This project uses Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Walking” to establish the tenets of these cultural myths and then proves that they are more myth than reality by tracing their development with Appalachian Trail thru- hiking memoirs. Ultimately, these memoirs reveal how the two cultural myths of wild nature and individualism are coopted by capitalist culture, forming a uniquely American pilgrimage.


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Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Cantor, Renee Sarahrsc39@pitt.edursc39
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Thesis AdvisorTwyning, Amy Murraymurraytwyning@gmail.com
Committee MemberAziz, Jeffreyjeffaziz@pitt.edu
Committee MemberBoone, Troyboone@pitt.edu
Committee MemberGlover, Geoffreygjglover@pitt.edu
Committee MemberMarshall, Ianism2@psu.edu
Date: 25 April 2022
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 20 April 2022
Approval Date: 25 April 2022
Submission Date: 21 April 2022
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Number of Pages: 92
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: David C. Frederick Honors College
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > English
Degree: BPhil - Bachelor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Undergraduate Thesis
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: ecocriticism environmental literature environmental writing
Date Deposited: 25 Apr 2022 18:14
Last Modified: 25 Apr 2022 18:14
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/42699

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