Travel writing, reception theory and the history of reading: reconsidering the late Middle Ages
Matthew Coneys
This article seeks to explore the value of a reader-oriented approach late medieval European travel writing. It offers brief overview development reception theory and “history reading” before discussing issues related definition genre in this period. Examining how readers approached celebrated accounts Marco Polo John Mandeville, as well broader range literature pertaining travel, it argues that reconstructing contemporary such works can help us better understand their position culture. Particular attention is paid permeability boundaries between fact fiction, with case study exploring two literary imitations produced early fifteenth-century Florence. The concludes some considerations regarding significance reader for our understanding writing’s historical development.
Studies in travel writing|SAS-Space (University of London)