LIT 258: Travel Writing and Memoir, Spring 2009, Jean Gregorek

This was an informal writing assignment in which all members of the class addressed two required texts dealing with the phenomenon of middle-class investigators of the lives of transients: George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London (1933); and Ben Reitman, Sisters of the Road: The Story of Boxcar Bertha (1937-). Orwell was of course an English socialist, while the lesser known Reitman was an American anarchist. Both writers are following in a late-nineteenth-century tradition of progressive investigative journalism which explores the specifics of the lived experience of class. Students’ (and faculty) commentary was disseminated via email and the differences in our assumptions and perspectives were then discussed in class.

Molly is a third-year student interested in environmental sustainability, while Don is a local farmer, retired doctor and public health administrator, and member of the Alumni Board. View their work below

Molly Thornton:
[scribd id=14082355 key=key-4rjsgtly4an6mzcgbi]Download the PDF of Molly’s work directly:
mollylit PDF

Don Wallace:
[scribd id=14082347 key=key-m55xhrb76oqyqjiuba7]Or download the PDF of Don’s work directly:
donwallacelit PDF