Vijayanagara in foreign eyes : a study of travel literature and ethnology in the Renaissance (1420-1600)
This dissertation attempts to understand the formationand transmission of images of non-European societies duringthe Renaissance from a case-study. An introductory chapterexplains travel literature as a genre, and establishes itsgeneral importance for the early development of the humansciences in the European cultural tradition, in particularthe empirical assumption that dominates the production ofpractically-oriented narratives based on the creative useof everyday language. The argument then goes on to focuson various descriptions of the South Indian kingdom ofVijayanagara written in the fifteenth and sixteenthcenturies by foreign observers. This body of literature isstudied thoroughly and in chronological order, withreference to the education and interests of the travellersand to the quality-of. their Indian experiences. Thus. theargument compares medieval with sixteenth-century travelnarratives, and texts produced within a Muslim and a LatinChristian traditions. Finally, it attempts to evaluate theuse travellers made of their rhetorical possibilities froma modern understanding of the complexity of the indigenouscultural tradition and political system. Continuousreference to the travel literature of the
Rubies I. Mirabet, Joan Pau
History
Vijayanagara in foreign eyes : a study of travel literature and ethnology in the Renaissance (1420-1600). This dissertation attempts to understand the formationand transmission of images of non-European societies duringthe Renaissance from a case-study. An introductory chapterexplains travel literature as a genre, and establishes itsgeneral importance for the early development of the humansciences in the European cultural tradition, in particularthe empirical assumption that dominates the production ofpractically-oriented narratives based on the creative useof everyday language. The argument then goes on to focuson various descriptions of the South Indian kingdom ofVijayanagara written in the fifteenth and sixteenthcenturies by foreign observers. This body of literature isstudied thoroughly and in chronological order, withreference to the education and interests of the travellersand to the quality-of. their Indian experiences. Thus. theargument compares medieval with sixteenth-century travelnarratives, and texts produced within a Muslim and a LatinChristian traditions. Finally, it attempts to evaluate theuse travellers made of their rhetorical possibilities froma modern understanding of the complexity of the indigenouscultural tradition and political system. Continuousreference to the travel literature of the
foreign eye study travel literature ethnology renaissance attempt transmission image non_european society renaissance case_study introductory travel literature genre establish importance early_development european cultural_tradition empirical assumption dominate production oriented narrative base creative everyday language argument various description south indian kingdom write foreign observer body_literature thoroughly chronological_order education interest quality indian experience thus compare medieval sixteenth_century text_produce within muslim tradition finally attempt_evaluate traveller make rhetorical possibility modern complexity tradition political_system travel literature