Goethe leaves his country secretly and silently without fuss. Why does he make this journey? In his own words,
“My purpose in making this wonderful journey is not to delude myself but to discover myself in the objects I see” (Italian Journey, 57)
The fact that he travels incognito is a clue to his desire to leave his identity behind and re-discover himself.
How does this self discovery take place?
Goethe goes to Italy with the desire to see in first person, art and architecture that he had only read and heard about. He goes with the stories that he heard from his father held fast in his heart and imagination. He describes the draw of traveling as “an irresistible need” (Italian Journey 128), a need that I’m sure anyone that has traveled or wanted to travel now, 200 years later, can relate to.
What is it about traveling that fosters self discovery?
Defamiliarization: a process by which one sees things that were previously known or understood in a new way; leads to insight and deeper understanding of oneself and one’s environment.
Goethe goes to Italy with a mind open to experience and open to gaining a greater understanding of the Italian culture. He understands that “every foreigner judges by the standard he brings with him” (Italian Journey, 129). With his mind open, and with a curiosity and desire to experience what Italy has to offer he is also open to defamiliarization.
In Goethe’s own words:
“Wherever I walk, I come upon familiar objects in an unfamiliar world; everything is just as I imagined it, yet everything is new. It is the same with my observations and ideas. I have not had a single idea which was entirely new or surprising, but my old ideas have become so much more firm, vital, coherent that they could be called new.” (Italian Journey, 129)
Later he goes on to say that:
“When I indulge in self-reflection, as I like to do occasionally, I discover in myself a feeling which gives me great joy. Let me put it like this. In this place, whoever looks seriously about him and has eyes to see is bound to become a stronger character… At least, I can say that I have never been so sensitive to the things of this world as I am here. The blessed consequences will, I believe, affect my whole future life” (Italian Journey, 137).
And:
“Nothing, above all, is comparable to the new life that a reflective person experiences when he observes a new country. Though I am still always myself, I believe I have been changed to the very marrow of my bones” (Italian Journey, 147).