Date of Award
Spring 5-24-2020
Document Type
Undergraduate Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts in English
Department
English
Advisor
Irene Williams
Advisor
Stefan Vander Elst
Abstract
The Travels of Sir John Mandeville presents a unique and nuanced perspective of the Eastern World during the time of the Crusades. By critically analyzing the still-unknown author’s depictions of the Eastern lands and their peoples, I demonstrate that it is possible to gain a deeper understanding of the status of Christianity during the late 14th century. The Travels comments upon the concepts of Eastern religions and cultural practices in a way that is remarkable and surprising — instead of reacting to such topics with hostility or aggression, the likely-Christian author of The Travels is willing to learn from those who hold to spiritual faiths outside his own. In recounting the painstaking details of his fictional travels, ‘Sir Mandeville’ created a literary work of art that would become a definitive authority amongst travel manuscripts for some two hundred years after its original publication.
Digital USD Citation
Sanborn, Jake, "Exploring the Truths and Fabrications of Sir John Mandeville" (2020). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 70.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/honors_theses/70
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.