The Largest Bull in Europe

Abstract

‘The Largest Bull in Europe’ explores the character of the tourist as both the observer and the observed. The first person narrative positions the visitor as a prurient viewer concerned with the sensual details of the other. Traditional associations of the traveller as a free agent, as flâneur, engender an environment of moral transgression in which the reconsideration of established social codes and mores are recast in alternative settings. The visitor is also noticed, observed and judged by those around her. The sense of alienation established provides a basis for reassessing what has already been accepted as true, particularly regarding the nature of romantic relationships and personal identity in relation to setting.