Isabella Bird: Liminal Performances

If you open an anthology of travel writing
particularly women s travel writing you are
bound to find an excerpt by Isabella Bird. However,
while Isabella Lucy Bird is much celebrated for
traveling the globe, challenging convention, and
becoming the first woman to gain admission into the
Royal Geographical Society, little attention has been
paid to the progression of her costume changes and
how her authority over her attire corresponds to her
growing authority as a writer and an emboldened
explorer. Bird actively uses her dress as a
performative space; her clothing descriptions become
her ultimate layer of costuming as she both
translates and transgresses Victorian standards of
femininity in order to package herself as a
professional explorer who is also a woman. Although
gender boundaries and expectations have changed,
gender continues to incite intense conversation, and
this work can contribute to discussions on gender
performance in writing and costume.

Autorentext

Maggie E. Mayhan, M.A. English. Truman State University,Kirksville, MO.

Klappentext

If you open an anthology of travel writing-particularly women's travel writing-you arebound to find an excerpt by Isabella Bird. However,while Isabella Lucy Bird is much celebrated fortraveling the globe, challenging convention, andbecoming the first woman to gain admission into theRoyal Geographical Society, little attention has beenpaid to the progression of her costume changes andhow her authority over her attire corresponds to hergrowing authority as a writer and an emboldenedexplorer. Bird actively uses her dress as aperformative space; her clothing descriptions becomeher ultimate layer of costuming as she bothtranslates and transgresses Victorian standards offemininity in order to package herself as aprofessional explorer who is also a woman. Althoughgender boundaries and expectations have changed,gender continues to incite intense conversation, andthis work can contribute to discussions on genderperformance in writing and costume.