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Brendan meets Columbus: A more commodious islescape
- Author(s):
- James Smith (see profile)
- Date:
- 2016
- Group(s):
- Environmental Humanities, History, Literary Geography, Medieval Studies, Philosophy
- Subject(s):
- Twelfth century, Thirteenth century, Fourteenth century, Middle Ages, Literature, Medieval
- Item Type:
- Article
- Tag(s):
- insularity, Island theory, Water history, 11th to 14th century, Medieval history, Medieval literature
- Permanent URL:
- http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6TV1K
- Abstract:
- This paper proposes that we can reimagine insular literatures and medieval islescapes as commodious seas of cultural and intellectual loci that span time, culture, and text alike. By moving beyond the rhetoric of insular separation or connectivity, we can see that islands connect even when medieval minds saw separation. The essay focuses on the Brendan legend and the commodious cultural ‘sea of islands’ that it inhabits, a space that connects the modern reader to a history of other connections, fact to fancy, and the real and the imaginary. When sailing in this sea, Brendan meets Columbus, and the late medieval idea of a lost island spreads though space and time.
- Metadata:
- xml
- Published as:
- Journal article
- Status:
- Published
- Last Updated:
- 6 years ago
- License:
- All Rights Reserved
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