Trains and Ships—Elements of Mobility in Western Culture and Literature

DING Hongwei

Peking University

Page 059-066

Abstract: If our focus is only applied to Western countries, then the concept of “mobility” may bear on such areas as social phenomena, cultural ideas, and literary themes; hence the possibility to examine what the concept contains and how it has evolved in the past from different perspectives, especially with regard to how different authors represent it in their works. With an expansion of our horizon, we may revisit the ideological elements pertinent to “mobility” that mark the dawning moments in Western modernity, such as ideas related to the Protestant Reformation and the rise of the middle class. A further expansion of our view may lead to a longer historical period of Western culture and literature, informed with other elements of mobility. This may enable an interaction between our topic and age-old literary themes, the Ulysses theme as a case in point. Thoughts evolving from such examinations may also enliven our awareness of some obvious differences between Chinese and Western literatures.

Keywords: western culture, literature, mobility

DOI: 10.53397/hunnu.jflc.202502005

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