The Magellan Project has given me the
opportunity to explore monster myths and legends at their very geographical
roots and examining the literary and cultural effects of these tales. In doing
so, I have learned how places and circumstances can influence the growth of
stories. During my three-week adventure through Scotland, Switzerland, and
France, I discovered how culture impacts legend and how legend impacts culture.
The lessons that I learned during my Magellan have proven to be valuable for
both my growth as an academic and my growth as a person.
During my time in the beautiful Scottish
Highlands, I was able to experience both life as a tourist and life as a “local.”
This juxtaposition allowed me to see how much the monster legend impacts tourist
culture around Loch Ness. I especially enjoyed my time away from busy tourist
areas. One of my favorite experiences was visiting the small, residential town
of Dores, which lies directly on the eastern shores of the lake. When I was
sitting on the rocky shores of the lake on a misty, rainy morning, it was clear
more than ever how the monster legend came to fruition – the opaque black
waters, partially obscured by silvery mist, certainly seemed eerily beautiful
enough to spark a myth of monstrous proportions.
I first stayed in the busy city of
Inverness, which sits on the River Ness and is near the northern tip of Loch
Ness. Tourist culture was certainly present in Inverness; there is a
double-decker red sightseeing bus that takes visitors to major tourist stops
near the loch. The busiest place that I encountered was Urquhart Castle. Visitors
flood the ruins and castle grounds, and a large number of monster sightings are
documented there each year, likely due to the concentration of hopeful
tourists. I found that people come from all over the world to see Loch Ness,
many of whom are trying to catch a glimpse of the famed Nessie. This is
apparent in the countless shops that line the tourist-centered part of
Drumnadrochit. This strip of shops is where visitors can find the Loch Ness
Exhibition Centre, which is essentially a museum dedicated to the origin story
of the Loch Ness Monster, and Nessieland, a gift shop full of kitschy Scottish
souvenirs. During my time near the loch, I even took a “monster cruise” of Loch
Ness with Jacobite Cruises. I spoke to an employee with the cruise company
about tourist culture; she said that, from June 2016 to June 2017, there has
been an increase of forty percent in the number of visitors taking boat cruises
with Jacobite. From my experiences at the tourist hubs and from the information
that I gained at the cruise company, it is clear that the Loch Ness Monster
greatly impacts the amount of yearly visitors to the Scottish Highlands.
The second part of my Magellan Project took
me to Lake Geneva on the French border of Switzerland. These were the same
shores explored by a group of Romantic writers in the summer of 1816, including
Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and John Polidori. The stormy
weather that plagued Lake Geneva that summer sparked the story of Frankenstein’s
monster and of a vampire tale that would inspire Stoker’s Dracula. While I hoped to experience some of the rainy, gloomy setting
that inspired the stories, most of my time in Geneva was spent under blue skies
and the intense heat of the sun. Nevertheless, I spent some time on the lake as
the writers might have on a rare sunny day, although the crowded beaches are
now filled with tourists eating Thai tofu salads. I also visited the statue of
Frankenstein’s monster a few times in Plainpalais, an area near central Geneva
that was a setting for Shelley’s novel. While many visitors to the area posed
for a picture with the statue in passing, it seemed that I was the only one who
made a special trip to see it. I took a bus to Cologny, a lakeside town where
the writers stayed in 1816, and I was caught by security when I accidentally
snuck into the wealthy housing plan where the Villa Diodati stands. I did see a
few people taking pictures in the Pré
Byron, or Byron Meadow, which is a grassy field near the Villa Diodati. However,
it became even more clear to me here that the roots of Frankenstein and Dracula
have very little effect on tourism in the local area.
For the last part of my Magellan project,
I traveled to Paris, France to study the Hunchback of Notre Dame. While Quasimodo
is merely a man with a physical deformity, many characters in Victor Hugo’s
novel view him as a monster. Interestingly, the novel contains many references
to Hugo’s architectural interests, and it even prompted the Gothic restoration
of the Notre Dame cathedral that is now a Parisian landmark. In my pre-trip
research, I discovered that there is a theory that Quasimodo was based on a
real man: Monsieur Trajan, a hunchbacked stonemason who worked at the cathedral
during the restoration. For these reasons, I visited the well-known tourist
spot to see the environment that inspired Hugo to write his novel. Visitors
flooded the main cathedral space, and there was also a long line to tour the
bell towers. After hours of waiting, I toured the belfry tower and saw for
myself the gargoyles and intricate stonework at the top of the cathedral. I
heard several American families jokingly referencing the Hunchback story;
additionally, amongst countless couples’ signatures on one of the iron doors,
someone had written “Neither Monster Nor Man.” For the purposes of my project,
I thought this might be a reference to Hugo’s hunchbacked protagonist.
Additionally, when touring Hugo’s apartment in Saint-Germain-des-Prés later in
my trip, I learned that many artists painted scenes from the writer’s novels
and gifted them to him; several scenes from The
Hunchback of Notre Dame were displayed in the apartment, thereby
demonstrating that Hugo’s novels had a great effect on the French public even
when the works were first published. From guided tours to kitschy cafes, I
learned that a novel-turned-Disney-movie has largely influenced the already
flourishing culture of tourism in Paris.
While a college education is food for the
hungry mind, the application of these lessons in a real-world setting is invaluable.
My time in the classroom at Washington & Jefferson College provides me with
the opportunity to discuss my passions with professors and fellow students; however,
the Magellan Project has given me the opportunity to explore these interests in
an entirely new venue. Throughout the duration of my project, I encountered countless
obstacles. I learned for the first time how to navigate multiple different
forms of public transportation, put myself out of my comfort zone by trying new
foods and experiences, and fell in love with three entirely different cultures.
I spoke French more than I ever anticipated and relied on my budding language
skills to find solutions to my problems. By getting lost a few times and being
untethered to my familiar life at home, I learned how to be autonomous and
self-sufficient. I can now traverse unfamiliar territory with confidence and an
open mind. Additionally, it is now clear how circumstances and environment can
influence the growth of a story and the culture surrounding it. My project gave
me the opportunity to see the places and sites that sparked important movements
in literary and cultural history, thereby providing me with experiences that
will influence my future in academia. The Magellan Project has provided me with
valuable knowledge that I will carry into my academic and professional lives,
and it has influenced my personal growth into a more confident, globally minded
young woman.