The significance of distance: an imagological analysis of the images of Italians in Finnish, Swedish and French travelogues in the second half of the nineteenth century

: Viljanen-Belkasseh, Paula

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

: 2026

Studies in Travel Writing

: 1364-5145

: 1755-7550

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13645145.2025.2601704

: https://doi.org/10.1080/13645145.2025.2601704

This article compares the images that Finnish travellers present of Italians in their travelogues with the images conveyed in Swedish and French travelogues in the second half of the nineteenth century. The study is conducted with an imagological approach, focusing on the literary representations of Italians, especially in their cultural context. The analysis of the travelogues shows that the Finnish, the Swedish and the French travellers alike associate both positive and negative traits with Italians. The main difference lies in the emphasis, as travellers stress different, more or less critical aspects in their portrayals of Italians. The analysis suggests that these portrayals may have been shaped by factors stemming from the specific Italian regions visited by the travellers, the relevant intertextual milieu, the broader politico-historical context of the period, the appeal of exoticism and the guiding principles of the Enlightenment.