Two Boston Brahmins in Goethe's Germany

The Travel Journals of Anna and George Ticknor

Edited by Thomas Adam, Gisela Mettele

Publication date:

16 May 2009

Length of book:

294 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

Dimensions:

238x163mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9780739129111

This volume includes the travel logs of Anna and George Ticknor from two journeys to the German Confederation from 1815 to 1817 and from 1835 to 1836. As members of an exclusive social class, the Ticknors enjoyed the privilege of traveling and living for an extended period in the German-speaking world, which conferred much-sought-after cultural and social distinction on them in Boston. A valuable primary source for American and German historians alike, these journals offer insight into the construction of American identities, as well as outside perspectives on German society, culture, and politics in the Age of Goethe. Simultaneously and independently composed by this husband and wife, these journals are the only known case of parallel male and female travel writing, thus affording a unique opportunity to explore gender as a factor in shaping their perceptions. A biographical glossary and extensive explanatory footnotes make this text accessible to a wide audience.

Chapter 1 Preface
Chapter 2 Introduction
Part 3 Part I. A Student Discovers Germany: George Ticknor, 1815–1817
Chapter 4 1. "We reached Gottingen, anxious and doubting." Studying Abroad, August 5, 1815–September 10, 1816
Chapter 5 2. "A Journey" with Edward Everett, September 13–October 25, 1816
Chapter 6 3. "Germany. Face of the Country": Youthful Reflections, 1815–1817
Chapter 7 4. "One important step nearer to...home." March 22–April 1, 1817
Part 8 Part II. Cosmopolitan Sojourners in Royal Saxony
Chapter 9 Section I: George Ticknor, 1835–1836
Chapter 10 5. "The spires and towers of Dresden were before us." November 12–December 25, 1835
Chapter 11 6. "I was presented at Court." December 26, 1835–April 22, 1836
Chapter 12 7. "To keep...as distinct an impression as I can." A Summary: April 1836
Chapter 13 8. "It was not agreeable to leave Dresden." May 8–June 5, 1836
Chapter 14 Section II: Anna Ticknor, 1835–1836
Chapter 15 9. "Safely arrived at this haven of rest." November 10–December 25, 1835
Chapter 16 10. "I amused myself with a rehearsal of my dress." December 26, 1835–April 12, 1836
Chapter 17 11. "I would fain...give an impression...of this pretty city." April 26–May 8, 1836
Chapter 18 12. "Once more travellers!" May 10–June 5, 1836

In this work, elite Americans express their fascination with the cultural and social life they observed and experienced while on extended tour in early nineteenth-century Germany—particularly in Dresden, the vibrant capital of the Kingdom of Saxony. Expertly edited, the volume introduces us to an image of a romanticized/idealized Germany that shaped the thinking of many Americans for decades after the Ticknors' travels. It makes an important contribution to our understanding of the ways in which European traditions influenced intellectual developments in the United States.