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Acknowledgments

It is my pleasure to thank some of those who made this book possible. First, I would like to thank Carme Manuel, general editor of the Biblioteca Javier Coy d’estudis nord-americans at the Universitat de València, for expressing interest in this manuscript and for generously providing me the opportunity to share this study of fascinating travel writing about Spain with readers. I would also like to acknowledge those who supported me through writing the dissertation from which this book evolved, including my director, Zita Nunes, and committee members for their engagement with this work. In addition, I am grateful to Smith College for the time and space for writing provided me through the Mendenhall Fellowship and to Daphne Lamothe in particular for generously reading some of the earliest chapter drafts. And I thank J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, as well, for its support of my research.

I am particularly indebted to my friends who have urged me on along the way in the development of this project. Colleagues Ghazala Hashmi, Jane Rosecrans, Ashley Bourne-Richardson, and Bitsy Gilfoyle especially have provided a vibrant intellectual community that continues to sustain me amidst the inevitably heavy demands of the job. I also benefitted enormously from the good humor and camaraderie of fellow writers Michelle Brown and Jeannette Marianne Lee. And without the constant encouragement of dear friend and scholar Jennifer Hansen-Glucklich this project would never have been completed.

And finally, this book was made possible by the love and support of my extraordinary family. Many thanks to my parents, Oscar and Luisa Ramos, for, among other things, their unshakable confidence in me, and to my brothers Joe and Ozzie for gently pushing me to the finish line. Thanks to the beautiful Oscar James Carroll for his tremendous energy and inspiration. And, of course, my deepest gratitude and love go to my husband, John Timothy Carroll, for his patience, intellectual companionship, and loving partnership, all of which enrich my life immeasurably.

Portions of Chapter 2 were previously published in Geocritical Explorations: Space, Place, and Mapping in Literary and Cultural Studies (2011) and have been reproduced with permission from Palgrave McMillan.