Politics and aesthetics in 19th century travel books about Dalmatia

Abstract

The 19th century British travel books about Dalmatia show a continuation of the interest in that region from early times. However, new approach and attitude, mostly influenced and defined by new philosophy, dominant ideas and requirements of the reading public, could be discerned in the travel accounts of the 19th century. An attempt has been made to establish the measure to which the writings were "objective reports" of the visit and to what extent they were coloured by the preconceived picture and by the ideological and ideational stance of the writers. The representation of history of the Dalmatian region, in the sense of seletion and omission of some important historical events has been examined, and how the status of history of Dalmatia in the travel books may have influenced the general picture of the region and its people. A very important aspect of the travel books is the authors attitude and their interpretations of the current political and cultural events in Dalmatia. The article tries to find the ideological background for the way the writers explain and criticize such events which are otherwise considered to be part of a normal historical and cultural process.