Vagabond (person): Difference between revisions
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A '''vagabond''' is an (generally [[impoverished]]) [[itinerant]] person. Such people may be called [[tramp]]s, [[rogue (vagrant)|rogue]]s, or [[hobo]]s. A vagabond is characterised by almost continuous travelling, lacking a fixed [[ |
A '''vagabond''' is an (generally [[impoverished]]) [[itinerant]] person. Such people may be called [[tramp]]s, [[rogue (vagrant)|rogue]]s, or [[hobo]]s. A vagabond is characterised by almost continuous travelling, lacking a fixed [[abode]], temporary [[home]], or [[permanent residence]]. Vagabonds are not [[Homelessness|vagrants]], as vagrants are not known for travelling, preferring to stay in one location. |
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Historically, "vagabond" was a [[United Kingdom|British]] legal term similar to [[vagrant]], deriving from the [[Latin]] for 'purposeless wandering'.<ref name="McIntosh"/> Following the [[Peasants' Revolt]], British [[constable]]s were [[Origins of the Poor Law system|authorised under a 1383 statute]] to collar vagabonds and force them to show their means of support; if they could not, the penalty was [[gaol]].<ref name="McIntosh">{{cite book |
Historically, "vagabond" was a [[United Kingdom|British]] legal term similar to [[vagrant]], deriving from the [[Latin]] for 'purposeless wandering'.<ref name="McIntosh"/> Following the [[Peasants' Revolt]], British [[constable]]s were [[Origins of the Poor Law system|authorised under a 1383 statute]] to collar vagabonds and force them to show their means of support; if they could not, the penalty was [[gaol]].<ref name="McIntosh">{{cite book |
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Revision as of 15:01, 24 September 2008
A vagabond is an (generally impoverished) itinerant person. Such people may be called tramps, rogues, or hobos. A vagabond is characterised by almost continuous travelling, lacking a fixed abode, temporary home, or permanent residence. Vagabonds are not vagrants, as vagrants are not known for travelling, preferring to stay in one location.
Historically, "vagabond" was a British legal term similar to vagrant, deriving from the Latin for 'purposeless wandering'.[1] Following the Peasants' Revolt, British constables were authorised under a 1383 statute to collar vagabonds and force them to show their means of support; if they could not, the penalty was gaol.[1] Under a 1495 statute, vagabonds could be sentenced to the stocks for three days and nights; in 1530, whipping was added. The assumption was that vagabonds were unlicensed beggars.[1]
By the 19th century the vagabond was associated more closely with Bohemianism. The critic Arthur Compton-Rickett compiled a review of the type, in which he defined it as men "with a vagrant strain in the blood, a natural inquisitiveness about the world beyond their doors." Examples included Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, William Hazlitt, and Thomas de Quincey.[2] A notable 20th century vagabond was the Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdös.
In Literature
- William H. Davies The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp, a non-fiction narrative of his own tramping in the United States.
- Woody Guthrie Bound for Glory (book), an autobiography that includes his time travelling as a railroad hobo across the United States.
- Mark Twain Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The protagonists raft down the Mississippi River.
- Jack Shaftoe, one of the major characters in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, is a vagabond.
- Armand, out of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, is referred to as a vagabond.
- Belgarath, one of the lead characters in David Eddings' Belgariad series, is a vagabond.
- Kenshin Himura, the hero of Nobuhiro Watsuki's manga Rurouni Kenshin, was a samurai who turned to the life of a vagabond to atone for his sins when he was known as Hitokiri Battousai (Battousai the Manslayer). "Rurouni" is actually a term meaning "master-less wandering samurai."
- Goldmund, in Herman Hesse's Narziss and Goldmund, is described variously as a vagrant, a wastrel, and a vagabond.
- Ken Kuhlken The Vagabond Virgins (book), a woman Lourdes Garcia, trying to find her sister Lupe Garcia.
- Miyamoto Musashi in the manga Vagabond wanders in order to find opponents to better himself as a swordsman.
In Television
- The female ronin (master-less samurai) Ran from the anime Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran is entirely depicted as a vagabond, going where her adventures lead her.
- In the tv series the Real World A member refers to others housemates as vagabonds.
In Movies
- Agnes Varda's 1985, documentary style movie Vagabond, originally titled Sans Toit Ni Loi, ("Without Roof or Law"), follows a young woman, Mona, during her last winter roaming through the South of France. Her story is pieced together by the recollections of those who met her in her last weeks.
- Ryu is mentioned as a vagabond by T.Hawk in the animated movie for Street Fighter II.
In Music
- Hardcore band UnderOath's 2008 album Lost in the Sound of Separation uses this term in the song "To Bright To See Too Loud To Hear".
- In the Love Song by Elton John called Can you fell the love tonight in part of the song Elton John says to make kings and vagabonds
- Metallica's song Wherever I May Roam, from their self titled album, includes the phrase "Roamer, Wanderer, Nomad, Vagabond, Call me what you will."
See also
References
- ^ a b c Marjorie Keniston McIntosh (1998). Controlling Misbehavior in England, 1370-1600. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521894042.
- ^ Arthur Compton-Rickett (1906). The Vagabond in Literature. E. P. Dutton.