Building Fantasies

 

How does the map overwrite the physical territory it claims to represent?

Today we look at literary simulations, from the bedroom of Victor Hugo to the Orlando welter of parks and rides. Guided by the semiotics of Umberto Eco, the simulation theory of Jean Baudrillard, and the urban critiques of Sam Jacob, we investigate the social construction of experience environments and what creates our preference for them over the raw experience.

Resources:

• Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulation, 1994.
• Benjamin, Walter. The Arcades Project, 1999.
• Eco, Umberto. Travels in Hyperreality: Essays, 1986.
• Jacob, Sam. “Vriesendorp Syndrome.” Perspecta 41: Grand Tour, 2008.
• MacLeod, Nicola E. Literary Fiction Tourism: Understanding the Practice of Fiction-Inspired Travel, 2021.
• Melton, Jeffrey Alan. “Keeping the Faith: Mark Twain’s Innocents Abroad.” South Atlantic Review, 1996.
• Montgomery, L. M. The Alpine Path: The Story of My Career, 1917.
• Montgomery, L. M. The Selected Journals of L. M. Montgomery, 1985-2004.
• Twain, Mark. Roughing It. American Publishing Company, 1872.
• Tuan, Yi-Fu. Topophilia: A Study of Environmental Perception, Attitudes, and Values. Columbia University Press, 1990

Episode 7.08 –

Building Fantasies

Glossary

The Absolute Fake: An engineered, hyperreal reproduction or simulation that seeks to completely replace reality, offering a polish that works to eliminate the traveler’s desire for the messy or difficult original.

Touristic Faith: The psychological suspension of disbelief where travelers willingly dismiss their own skepticism and actively collude with the tourist industry to pretend they are gaining an “authentic” experience.

Vriesendorp Syndrome: The construction of spaces where the sheer number and juxtaposition of cheap, mass-produced replicas separates our idea of place from its physical reality, turning place into a frictionless, standardized “flavor.”

Listener’s Guide Reflection Questions

1. When we look at a clean replica or model, what do our minds do to judge it more informative than a weathered original?
2. How does the metaphor of a map “generating” a territory change how we think about our expectations for a space?
3. When we observe a reflection or a photo of a landscape, how does that visual frame change our view of the physical environment behind it?
4. In what ways do curated soundscapes, scents, and climate controls shape our willingness to accept an artificial room as a valid space?
5. How does remembering a past journey alter what we experienced in the physical moment?

Skeptical Pilgrim Challenges: 

• The Grand Tour – PDF
• Packing Lists – PDF  
• Author Footprints – PDF
• Mapping Dreams – PDF
• Building Fantasies – PDF

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/literary-tourism/

CHAPTERS

00:00     Leaving the Road Behind
06:49     Intro Theme
07:25     All the Flavors
17:49     Lake Tahoe on Fire
22:46     Pilgrim Exercises Pt 5
24:31     Montgomery’s Lost Island
30:17     Closing Credits

   

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Transcript and Full Bibliography:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/7-08-building-fantasies

 

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Check out my introductory episodes (0.1-0.3) to find out what’s going on here! I’ve got an episode for readers, for teachers, and for students: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords-podcast/

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Literary Nomads is the main program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

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CREDITS:

Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

 

USING THIS WORK:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

 

MLA CITATION:

Chisnell, Steve. “7.08 Building Fantasies. ” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 07 August 2026, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/literary-tourism/