Review article
The travel books o fbaroaue. Soldiers, missionaries, pilgrims, politic travellers
Ivan Pederin
; Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zadar
Abstract
This is a review and analvsis of travel books in the KVII*
Century written by Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and English authors.
First, the book written by El Inča Garcilasos de la Vega, born out of a
concubinate of a Spanish conquistador and an Incaic Princess who
has described the Inča Empire, displaying their religion and also how
religion functions as a principle of the political assets. This travel
book is followed by Pedro Ordonez Ceballos who travelled ali over the world, being first a Spanish army officer and later a priest and
missionary. This travel book draws close to an autobiogpraphy and is
strongly anectodized so that it raises doubts that most or a part of it
is an invention. But, on the other side, this travel book is akin to
Cervantes' Novelas ejemplares with intricate happenings. This travel
book is also permeated with Christian doctrinary auctoral behaviour. The travel books by Francisco d'Andrade are akin to cronicles of
Portuguese colonial expansion and colonial skirmishes and wars.
The books by Luys Coelho de Barbuda describe the endeavours of
missionaries in spreading the Gospel in India and many obstacles
connected with that spreading. The travel book by Jean Mocquet is
not the travel book of a sailor but a passenger on board of some
Portuguese ships. It is akin to literature and this time a novel,
because of a number of anecdotes. He also reports on the progress
made by Christendom among the oversea natives who were modest
and saving much about difficultics in spreading the Gospel. The same
can be said about the travel books of the Italian missionary Dionisio
Carli who also reports on the animist practice of many native tribes
in Africa and elsewhere and also on dangers of pirates and their
dangers in travelling by sea, on slave traffiking etc. Pietro della Valle
was an educated Italian who reported on culture and religion in India.
Finally, there is a couple of English travellers who launched a new
type of travelling and wrote travel book, aiming to describe the
beauties of Italy.
Keywords
The travel books of baroque; Soldiers; missionaries; pilgrims; politic travellers
Hrčak ID:
39036
URI
Publication date:
21.9.2001.
Visits: 2.699 *