The Art of Travel Literary Elements

Travel writing

This novel is set in many different places, with Botton telling stories of his travels to places like Amsterdam and Barbados.

Philosopher Alain de Botton writes this book from his own point of view, often including stories of his own travels.

The tone of this novel is often humorous, philosophical, and insightful.

Botton himself can be considered the protagonist (or perhaps the reader.) There is no clear antagonist.

The major conflict of this text is Botton's argument that people should use travel in the right way, rather than as a way to escape their lives or even themselves.

In the sixth essay of the collection, the climax is when Botton concludes that when people experience the "sublime," they become more humble as they are reminded of their insignificance.

Often, Botton will foreshadow his own travel stories by speaking about the issue he experiences beforehand. For example, in "On Anticipation," he talks about how traveling often disappoints and then tells a story of his own disappointing holiday to Barbados.

Botton argues that people often understate the pervasiveness of their own problems, thinking that they might "escape" from them by traveling.

Botton alludes to many historical figures in this book, including poet Charles Baudelaire.

Imagery is used to describe the brochure picture that convinced Botton to travel to Barbados: "A palm tree gently inclining in a tropical breeze."

Botton suggests that people are concerned with finding happiness, but paradoxically look for it in the wrong places, ultimately making them much more unhappy than they need to be.

Botton often compares his own traveling experiences to those of historical figures. For example, he compares his own disappointment traveling to Charles Baudelaire.

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