“The Pleasure is Exquisite but Violent” : The Imaginary Geography of Niagara Falls in the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

Niagara Falls has recently been the subject of a host of new historical interpretations, which attempt to interpret the commercial, scientific, patriotic and broader cultural meaning of this popular North American icon. This paper investigates the sexual meaning of the waterfall, an important dimension of its history given the long-time association of Niagara Falls with the honeymoon. Using travel writing, guidebooks, and tourist promotion literature, this paper explores the "imaginary geography" of Niagara visitors, and suggests how a sex and gender-conscious analysis might be usefully employed in the history of leisure and tourism.

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