Previous
The Orient
That which is both new and valuable. Conventionally, the word is employed by Europeans identifying something that captivates them about non-European cultures, but Alain de Botton also uses it to describe his fascination with Amsterdam.
The Exotic Quotes in The Art of Travel
The The Art of Travel quotes below are all either spoken by The Exotic or refer to The Exotic. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 3
Quotes
What we find exotic abroad may be what we hunger for in vain at home.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Art of Travel LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Exotic Term Timeline in The Art of Travel
The timeline below shows where the term The Exotic appears in The Art of Travel. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3: On the Exotic
When he disembarks in the Amsterdam airport, de Botton is immediately fascinated by the exotic exit sign he sees overhead: the sign’s simplicity and peculiar Dutch vowel combinations give him...
(full context)
De Botton recognizes that “the word exotic has traditionally been attached to more colourful things than Dutch signs,” and notes that it...
(full context)
...a café, and then sets out on a walk around the city. He sees “the exotic” in the city’s brickwork, narrow apartment buildings, affinity for bicycles, and grid system, among other...
(full context)
In its “fugitive, trivial” sense, “exotic” often simply denotes the pleasure people take in novelty. But de Botton sees a “more...
(full context)
...basket contains her groceries and includes a carton reading “Goodappletje.” While she would find nothing exotic about the image of herself, de Botton claims, he feels a need to understand everything...
(full context)
The exoticism of a foreign country adds to attractive people’s appeal, de Botton argues, and perhaps one’s...
(full context)
