A woman’s journey round the world

Abstract

The following text presents the translation of an extract of the work of the Austrian female writer Ida Pfeiffer (1797-1858). Traveler and writer, she made five big journeys in her lifetime, all of which were published in book format ”“ the last one was published after her death. Her third and fourth trips were actually journeys around the world and she visited, among of her travels, all continents except for Antarctic. The extract presented here is the beginning of the second chapter of her third book, Eine Frau fährt um die Welt (A woman's journey round the world). In this text, Ida Pfeiffer narrates her first travel around the world, a journey that took her from Austria to Brazil, Chile, China, India, Persia and Asia Minor. The first chapters of the book are dedicated both to her ship journey to the Southern Hemisphere and the description of her experiences in the country, as well as her departure to Chili. Among the cities that she visited in her two-month-stay in the country in 1846 are Rio de Janeiro, Petrópolis, Nova Hamburgo, São Paulo and Santos, as well as other small villages and an Indian settlement in the inland part of Rio de Janeiro. The second chapter specifically focuses in the impressions of the author of the then capital of Brazil, the city of Rio de Janeiro. To do such, the author describes the space of the city: squares, streets, churches, houses and shops. Besides, the author notices the social difference between white people and black people, that at the moment were still slaves, and registers her opinion against slavery and approbative of a more inclusive educational system. The extract finishes with the author´s description of art and science produced on Brazil, including the Academy of Arts and Municipal Museum and Theatre.