From pilgrimage accounts to imaginary journeys in the Middle Ages. Literary and aesthetic clues on the evolution of the genre as an early patterning of touristic events
From pilgrimage accounts to imaginary journeys in the Middle Ages. Literary and aesthetic clues on the evolution of the genre as an early patterning of touristic events
De la peregrinación medieval al viaje imaginario: la evolución literaria y estética de un género como prefiguración del hecho turístico
Fonte: Cuadernos de Turismo; No. 27 (2011): Enero - Junio; 227-245
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Resumo: This paper studies some of the primary sources related to medieval pilgrimage, especially concentrating in those passages which render visual and aesthetic details and, in doing so, transcend the practical and eschatological aims that the Christian hierarchy associated with pilgrim guides, such as the well-known Liber Peregrinationis in Codex Calixtinus (12th century). I believe that, to a certain extent, these passages would point to a human experience of travelling: a kind of precedent to later conceptions of the journey as a means to acquire knowledge, to explore the world, to fill one’s curiosity or simply to enjoy oneself. The second part deals with a proper literary text, like Mandeville’s Travels (14th century), which, however, owes a lot to previous pilgrim guides to the Holy Land and, as such, clearly reflects the evolution of the genre.
