In 1878, Henry James created the literary archetype of the "American girl abroad" with the publication of a novella called Daisy Miller. The work took its name from its leading lady, a young American girl from Schenectady, New York, who travels the European continent with her mother and brother. Wherever she goes, Daisy challenges the strict social conventions of upper-class European conservatives. Instead of sitting in parlors, she goes out to see and experience the things that interest her, never afraid of having a real adventure and meeting a host of fascinating people along the way. Her peers question her motivation for breaking so many norms: is Daisy just a naive American girl who doesn't know any better, or does she consciously choose to push boundaries?
Just as James's novella chronicles the European travels of Daisy Miller, this blog with chronicle my European travels. I'll be in Florence for six weeks this summer, taking courses in Italian and Art History. Then I'll be at Oxford for the academic year 2009-2010. Though I don't plan to meet my untimely end in the Coliseum or send the whole of Roman society into an uproar as Daisy Miller does, I will be an "American girl abroad" in her spirit, exploring new cultures and finding my way around a different continent. How will almost a whole year abroad change my life? Daisy found herself so transformed that returning to the States was inconceivable for her, a sentiment very much on my mind as I prepare to leave for Italy at the end of the week.
Stay tuned!! I hope to be updating this on a fairly regular basis with pictures and stories from my travels.
--Ellen
