Authenticity In The Tourist

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Authenticity: To Be Determined Dean MacCannell explores the concept of “authenticity,” a quality of genuineness that many people spend time searching for. Throughout the chapter “Staged Authenticity” of The Tourist, there are points that explore this common desire for wholesome experience in new places. In the societal structure of today, however, it is becoming more and more difficult to find authenticity, as we get further and further “mystified” looking for a true and sincere reality. MacCannell makes statements regarding how difficult it is to find realness in the modern world, but never makes a claim that clearly defines authenticity. Instead, MacCannell’s use of paradoxical phrases, visual examples that are relevant to readers, and self-contradiction around the ideas of mystification and reality strengthen his point that there is no concrete definition of authenticity. MacCannell discusses the role mystification plays in the average person’s everyday life, combining two concepts …show more content…

The words “authenticity” and “mystification” are two that are not often combined, as one describes something genuine and true, and the other is used in more perplexing and blurry situations. At first glance, it may seem that MacCannell is yet again describing authenticity, except it in this case, it is transforming into its opposite: mystification. When this is dissected further, however, the point that he is making is clear. The fakeness that has become a part of our societal structure is becoming more and more defined as reality, which as a result takes us further away from the presence of “authenticity.” If we are constantly seeing set up “stages” that are created to meet our expectations, how do we tell the difference between what is truly authentic and what is being produced to create an image of

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