Una viajera con nombre propio: Lady Elizabeth Holland y sus cuadernos hispanos

Abstract

Travelling is an inherent activity in human behaviour. From prehistoric times, different peoples have been exploring the globe and yet, even nowadays, it seems difficult to find some well -preserved historical accounts about women travellers. They have been considered rare and exceptional cases, and rather unreliable sources of information. This dissertation sets out to correct these misconceptions through the study of the main characteristics associated with women’s travels from the narratives of the Mediterranean goddesses to the problems faced by actual globetrotters. We focus on 18t h century Europeans travels since this was the period when the figure of the ‘man traveller’ was established, and the historical evidence suggests, it may be the time when wom en, similarly inspired by the Enlightenment ideals, also started to travel. To this effect, we have selected one among the many ladies who went on an educational journey across the Continent without the guidance of a tutor: Elizabeth Vassall -Fox, better known as Lady Holland. Lady Holland made several journeys during her life. In 1791 she embarked on the classic Grand Tour and, a decade later, she went to Spain. Her diaries, partially published in 1910, are an invaluable depiction of Spanish society during the last years of Charles IV’s reign. Because of the importance of these works, we concentrate on her first Spanish journey. We intend to examine not only her thoughts and feelings but also the reasons that led her to undertake these activities and the co nsequences this had for her personal improvement and, also, for women’s history.