What ’ s lit got to do with it ? Deconstructing the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
ential in how we think about that place ( Lefebvre 42 ; Taun 31 ) and influence activities we engage in when visiting there ( Edensor 65 ; Goffman 67 ; Light , 241 ). Yet while the connections between place and literature in a broad sense have been considered by scholars in a variety of fields , little research has addressed the effects of specific literary works on the places associated with them or their authors .
THE CASE — THE CARL SANDBURG HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
To examine the role of literature in the experience of tourists in literary places , a deconstructive examination of traveler reviews about the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site was conducted .
Sandburg and His Literary Works
Carl Sandburg was a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and poet . Born in Illinois in 1878 to Swedish immigrants , Sandburg worked in cities across the Midwest and is perhaps best known for his writing about the rapid industrialization of the country he witnessed as a young man during the early part of the twentieth century ( NPS ). As a boy , Sandburg grew up on the open Midwestern prairie and worked odd jobs to help support his large family , particularly after his father became underemployed in the wake of the economic downturn of the 1890s ( NPS ). During his teen years , Sandburg rode the rails around the Midwest and worked in a number of cities ( Callahan 17 ). When the Spanish American war broke out , Sandburg enlisted and was stationed in Puerto Rico , though he never saw combat ( Callahan 28 ). Upon his return from the war , the young veteran enrolled in college for a short time before growing restless and again heading out to ride the rails and work odd jobs around the Midwest . During his travels ,
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