Alain De Botton Essay

By acknowledging the physiological and imagined experiences of travel there can be critical understanding into the relationship between landscapes and the lives of individuals and how they shape that individual. Alain de Botton a philosopher and author studied this idea in depth and wrote his non-fiction ‘travel guide’ The Art of Travel. De Botton deliberately represents ideas about the lives of individuals and their relationship with landscapes in his book. He conveys the concept that these experiences can influence the identity of these individuals. He does this by using intertextuality, exploring the ideas from artists and theorists throughout his book. These experiences can be seen through themes and concepts portrayed in each individual

chapter of The Art of Travel. The chapters ‘On the Country and the City’ and ‘On Habit’ critically convey the idea that experiences of landscape can influence identity demonstrated mainly through real, imagined and remembered landscapes. John Keats, a poet from the Romantic era also conveys the relationship between people and landscapes in his poem ‘Ode to a Nightingale’. Comparing these texts, insight is given into the concept of landscapes influencing and shaping the identity and life of an individual.
The chapter ‘On the Country and the City’ de Botton describes the relationship between people and real landscapes, presenting the idea that nature or natural landscapes can have a beneficial impact on individuals.

He uses the poet William Wordsworth to convey this relationship. Wordsworth’s remembered experience of the Lake District conveys a sense of natural beauty through the country with a binary comparison to the city. De Botton states that the city is full of “smoke congestion, poverty and ugliness” and that “City dwellers have no perspective”. He describes the country as having “sanity, purity and permanence” These two different landscapes are juxtaposed conveying the influence that it has on the individual. This demonstrates that there is a connection between people and landscapes. De Botton presents the idea that “City dwellers began to travel in great numbers through the countryside in an attempt to restore health to their bodies and more importantly harmony to their souls.” This effectively illustrates that there is a relationship between individuals and landscapes. In this case nature or natural landscapes create and promote healing or life-altering experiences. This idea of contrasting landscapes is further explored, as de Botton comments on Wordsworth’s view stating that “our identities are to a greater or lesser extent malleable” and that they “change according to whom – and sometimes what – we are with”. This is an important and central argument conveying the idea that the relationship between real landscapes and individuals can create an impression on our

identity.
Imagined landscapes are critical in de Botton’s Art of Travel, specifically explored in the final chapter ‘On Habit’. This chapter engages in the concept of Imagined Landscapes, demonstrating how they shape the thought and experience of individuals. De Botton explores the concept of travelling within one’s own home with reference to Xavier de Maistre’s work A Journey around My Bedroom. With the use of this intertextuality de Botton references an autobiographical note of Alexander von Humboldt’s, “I was spurred on by an uncertain longing to be transported from a boring daily life to a marvellous world” he then proceeds to make the argument that “It was this dichotomy, ‘boring daily life’ pitted against ‘marvellous world’ that de Maistre tried to redraw with greater subtly”. This conveys the argument that the experience of travel can be attained within one’s own room using imagined landscapes. De Botton then includes the German philosopher Nietzsche’s comment on Maistre’s work. Nietzsche’s opinion is that experiences of landscapes being real or imagined or are interpreted differently by individuals. He states that some people can manage their experiences “so that they become an arable soil that bears fruit three times a year”, while others “are driven through surging waves of destiny” always remaining on top. De Botton concludes at the end of the chapter that imagined or remembered experiences should be thought about “before taking off for distant hemispheres”. This essentially conveys that landscapes create or shape ideas and experiences for individuals.
‘Ode to a Nightingale’ is a very symbolic poem which reflects concepts like death, nature, identity and escapism. John Keats focuses on both real and imagined landscapes while presenting these concepts. ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ can further demonstrate the relationship between landscapes and individuals. The theme of man and the natural world is significant in this poem, similar to ‘On the Country and the City’. “That I might drink, and leave the world unseen, And with thee fade away into the forest dim.” Keats attempts to escape his world that is full of work, stress and complicated relationships. Just like de Botton there is a strong representation of ideas about the lives of individuals portrayed through these landscapes. Keats uses the name ‘nightingale’ as a symbolic allusion to Greek mythology, as it references the princess of Athens that was turned into a nightingale. The use of this symbolism of the nightingale is to represent individualism within an environment or landscape, and it is also to represent himself. Keats uses imagined landscapes as a form of escapism. “Away! away! for I will fly to thee, Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards, But on the viewless wings of Poesy” Here Keats again uses the allusion to Greek mythology as symbolism for alcohol and “wings” as a metaphor for imagination. He is essentially saying he will no longer use alcohol to escape reality but will instead use his own imagination. When comparing the Art of Travel and ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ it is evident that both de Botton and Keats deal with ideas like escapism and travel as well as nature. This is shown through real and imagined landscapes.
To summarise, it is fairly evident that de Botton deliberately represents the ideas about the lives of individuals in relation to their real, remembered or imagined landscapes by providing his ideas supported by intertextuality and the opinions from theorists, philosophers and artists. This is demonstrated in his book the Art of Travel, with the comparison to John Keats’ ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ the relationship between people and landscapes is clearly portrayed.