Textual Spaces

Textual Spaces: French Renaissance Writings on the Italian Voyage, Volume 1, is a scholarly examination of how early modern French travelers experienced and represented Italian geography. Richard E. Keatley analyzes the intersection of travel literature and political values, moving beyond surface narratives to explore the sociological tensions of the period. This work of history and criticism utilizes period maps and philological mapping to study the itineraries of figures like Michel de Montaigne and Joachim du Bellay.

By focusing on French prose literature and travelers' writings, the book demonstrates how these textual spaces transformed lost territories into symbols of desire and political capital. This study of Italy, description and travel, bridges the gap between art history and spatial theory. Textual Spaces provides a critical perspective on the exploitative origins of tourism and the dual nature of leisure excursions within the context of early modern history.