Danette DiMarco, a Slippery Rock University professor of languages, literatures, cultures, and writing, wrote an essay that was published in a collection titled “The Flaneuse in Literature and Culture: Women Wandering Purposefully.”
DiMarco’s essay, titled “Curated (Foot)steps in Susan Orlean’s My Kind of Place and On Animals,” discusses the relationship between a flaneuse and cosmopolitanism, the idea that all people are citizens of a shared world that transcends national boundaries and are therefore entitled to a shared set of rights. DiMarco uses these concepts to analyze the work of writer Susan Orlean’s books “My Kind of Place: Travel Stories from a Woman Whose Been Everywhere” and “On Animals.”
The flaneuse is the feminine version of a flaneur, a French term for a man who wanders without a clear direction or purpose. There is no direct English translation for this word, but a flaneur has been described as an “observer” or “people-watcher.” This essay collection details how the behavior of a flaneur is affected by aspects of class, race and gender.
More information about “The Flaneuse in Literature and Culture” can be found on the publisher’s website.
