Fear of a Lonely Planet: author anxieties and the mainstreaming of a guidebook

Lonely Planet (LP) guidebooks are one of the most popular guidebook brands in tourism, but few studies have examined the guidebooks in detail or their relationship with tourism and tourists. Utilising an inductive research approach, this exploratory study aims to make a contribution to the theory and knowledge of guidebooks. Interviews with guidebook writers reveal a sense of frustration created by editorial controls and tourist behaviour. Writers prefer the counter-cultural style of the early LP guidebooks, whereas the editors are keen to appease a more mainstream audience. While tourists tend to follow prescribed routes based on LP information, the writers seek to promote more spontaneous tourism experiences. The conventional view that texts convey the worldview of their authors needs to be re-thought in light of such rigid editorial controls. Findings also suggest that new media could lead to the decline of guidebooks and the rise of more collaborative forms of information sharing, potentially representing the end point of the mainstreaming process of LP guidebooks. Theories of new media may then inform new theories on guidebooks. This paper demonstrates the utility of Grounded Theory and the use of guidebook authors in the research process.     

孤独的存在——《边城》再解读

在《边城》优美隽永山水田园图画的背后,上演的是一幕幕令人心酸的悲剧,其根源在于"茶峒人"特定的生存状态--孤独."茶峒"的地理位置、民族特色、凝滞闭塞的生存方式,以及被时代抛弃的失落感,使"茶峒人"呈现出一种孤独的生存状态.沈从文苗土混血的民族出身,富有传奇色彩的个人经历,形成了他的孤独情结.这种独特的个人情结内化为作家创作的潜动机,并贯注于《边城》的山水风光、人情风俗之中.