Product Description

This book covers the two most famous expeditions of the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration: Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova expedition of 1910-12 and Ernest Shackleton's Endurance expedition of 1914-16. It focuses not only on the two expeditions, but also on the ways in which the reputations of the men who led them have evolved over the course of the last century. For decades after Scott's tragic death on the return journey from the South Pole - to which he had been beaten by only five weeks - he was regarded as a saint-like figure with an unassailable reputation born from his heroic martyrdom in the frozen wastes of the Antarctic. In recent years, however, Scott has attracted some of the most intense criticism any explorer has ever received. Shackleton's reputation, meanwhile, has followed a reverse trajectory. Although his achievements were always appreciated, they were never celebrated with nearly the same degree of adulation that traditionally surrounded Scott. But in the final decades of the twentieth century Shackleton has come to be regarded as the beau ideal of the heroic explorer, a man capable of providing leadership lessons not only for other explorers but also for corporate executives and politicians.

Today, Scott and Shackleton therefore occupy very different places in the polar pantheon than they once did. This change has come about with little new information about either man or the expeditions they led coming to light. Their actions and personalities, their virtues and flaws, have not changed. How, when and why attitudes towards Scott and Shackleton have altered over the course of the twentieth century forms the subject of this book. It explores how the evolution of their reputations has far more to do with broader cultural changes in Britain and the United States.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #885411 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 390 pages

Review
"Exciting...As Stephanie Barczewski observes in "Antarctic Destinies," the meaning of the tales -- along with their moral lessons and cultural appeal -- has shifted over the course of a century." -- Michael J. Ybarra, The Wall Street Journal

"Antarctic Destinies is a fascinating story of culture and cultural identity. Barczewski raises interesting questions about what it means to be a hero and how heroes are made. [Barczewski's] book is an excellent and thought-provoking addition to the literature on these two compelling men and their incredible expeditions." -- David B. Williams, The Seattle Times

About the Author
A specialist in modern British cultural history, Stephanie Barczewski is Professor of History at Clemson University in South Carolina, where she has taught since 1996. In 2005 she became Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities at Clemson. She is the author of numerous books, most recently Titanic: A Night Remembered.

Customer Reviews

Authoritative account
An authoritative and well researched review. The author has used her literary skills with inteligence and there is evidence of a degree of passion for her subject. I have enjoyed the book immensely.
I don't consider this a book for the novice. One needs a reasonable understanding of Antarctic exploration and history to appreciate the finer points encountered.
There is a bias towards Scott in her comparisons, but the author makes her position clear from the outset;in fact her reason for writing the account.
I am full of admiration for her exhaustive research on the achievements of the two explorers and their life and times. I have found the account a wonderful addition to my Antarctic Library and it is already being used as a source of reference to other work.
There some factual errors in the text and in one photo along with some typographical errors, which are disappointing in such an authoritative review, but do not detract from the substance of the theme.
I have pleasure in recommending this work. I believe all 'Antarcticans' would enjoy this account which offers a catalyst to 'polarise' ones views on the destinies of these two explorers.

Strange hybrid
Meant for both Heroic Age of Polar Exploration novices and experts, Antarctic Destinies ultimately proves rather disappointing for both. The author did an outstanding job of reading and collecting popular literature about her subject, however, there is too much basic background on Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton for those who are polar afficionados, and too much detail about how these men were viewed in their day and ours for the reader who is unfamiliar with the countless books written on Scott and Shackleton.

For the fan of polar exploration, it is interesting to read about the rise and fall of Scott, and the fall and rise of Shackleton. However, the author makes promises she does not keep. Throughout the book, there are hints that she will discuss why Shackleton's reputation as an almost superhuman leader of men in tight situations is overblown. The author, however, does not get around to disputing Shackleton's reputation until the Epilogue, and then only mentions briefly the diaries of two of Shackleton's men, James Wordie and Leonard Hussey. She does discuss very briefly the Ross Sea Party fiasco, but Shackleton was not directly involved in leading those men. Instead, she drops comments like "It does not matter that much of this is hyperbole (praise from a modern British writer about Shackleton)at best and utter falsehood at worst; what matters is that Moore, like her readers, believes that it is true, because that is the Shacklton she imagines, and wants to imagine." There is then no discussion about what makes it either hyperbole or why the writer is lying.

Two final notes: there are a few typographical errors with words either left out or misused, and it would have been nice to have a bibliography of the many works the author read in preparation. Instead, the reader is left to comb the very copious notes.

Any general-interest library strong in exploration history and Antarctic history in general will find this invaluable.
ANTARCTIC DESTINIES: SCOTT, SHACKLETON AND THE CHANGING FACE OF HEROISM follows the changing reputations and historical discovers of three early explorers of the Antarctic and their entwined lives and objectives. The idea of the heroic explorer and their special challenges comes to life in chapters that reveal their changing images, their lives, and how and why their reputations have changed in the literature. Any general-interest library strong in exploration history and Antarctic history in general will find this invaluable.