Ein Herbst in Wales: Land und Leute, Märchen und Lieder

Name of traveller

Julius Rodenberg (1831-1914)

Reason for travel

• travelling as cultural tourist, self-improvement

Date of travel

autumn 1856

Die walisischen Dörfer zeichnen sich in ihrer allgemeinen Anordnung nicht sehr von denen aus, die man in England oder Deutschland sieht. Jedoch der Bau des einzelnen Hauses ist verschieden und erinnert nicht wenig an die Schweizer Bauart, da die Natur ja überall das Zweckmäßige und Nothwendige von selbst hervorruft. (Rodenberg 23)

Content

• art: contains a collection of Welsh folk songs in German specially arranged for the author
• customs:
  • includes Welsh legends, songs, poetry and history, interwoven with stylised travel narrative
  • description of courting and wedding customs
  • hears Welsh folk song "Ar hyd y nos" played on a harp near Caernarfon Castle at night
• literature: contains a number of situational poems by the author
• people:
  • references to Fürst von Pückler-Muskau (1785-1871)
  • mentions the Ladies of Llangollen, Eleanor Charlotte Butler (1739-1829) and Sarah Ponsonby (1755-1831)
  • detailed interactions with local people, often presented as vignettes
  • character sketch of an English manufacturer of knives holidaying in Wales
• recreation: humorous anecdotes, often at the expense of English tourists
• terrain: 
  • presents a romanticised view of Wales
  • presents Wales as a positive counter to the negative of modern city life, contrasting natural and urban landscapes
  • spends a period of month on Y Wern farm near Abergwyngregyn
• transport: narrates the act and perils of travel, by rail, coach and on foot
• compare with a later description of the same journey
• English translation: An Autumn in Wales (1856): Country and People, Tales and Songs. Trans. William Linnard. Cowbridge/Wales: D. Brown and Sons, 1985. Print.
• click here to read the full account in German

Nationality of traveller

German

Language of publication

German; translation: English

Gender of traveller

Male

Type of publication

travelogue

Citation

Rodenberg, Julius. Ein Herbst in Wales: Land und Leute, Märchen und Lieder. Hannover: C. Rümpler, 1858. Print.