Medieval Imaginaries in Tourism, Heritage and the Media

262 Pages·2021·68.513 MB·English

by  Jennifer Frost and Warwick Frost

Medieval Imaginaries in Tourism,
Heritage and the Media
This book examines the pervading influence of medieval culture, through an
exploration of the intersections between tourism, heritage, and imaginaries of the
medieval in the media.
Drawing on examples from tourist destinations, heritage sites, fictional liter-
ature, television and cinema, the book illustrates how the medieval period has
consistently captured the imagination of audiences and has been reinvented for
contemporary tastes. Chapters present a range of international examples, from
nineteenth-century Victorian notions of chivalry, knights in shining armour
exemplified by King Arthur, and damsels in distress, to the imagining of the Jap-
anese samurai as medieval knights. Other topics explored include the changing
representations of medieval women, the Crusades and the Vikings, and the chal-
lenges faced by medieval cathedrals to survive economically and socially.
This book offers multidisciplinary perspectives and will appeal to scholars and
students across a variety of disciplines such as cultural studies, history, tourism,
heritage studies, historical geography and sociology.
Jennifer Frost is Associate Professor in the Department of Management, Sport
and Tourism at La Trobe University, Australia. She is Co-editor-in-Chief of the
Journal of Heritage Tourism and her research interests include travel narratives,
heritage tourism and rural tourism and events.
Warwick Frost is Professor of Heritage, Tourism and the Media in the Depart-
ment of Management, Sport and Tourism at La Trobe University, Australia. He is
Co-editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Heritage Tourism and his research interests
include heritage tourism and tourism and the media.
Routledge Cultural Heritage and Tourism Series
Series editor: Dallen J. Timothy,
Arizona State University, USA
The Routledge Cultural Heritage and Tourism Series offers an interdisciplinary
social science forum for original, innovative and cutting-edge research about all
aspects of cultural heritage-based tourism. This series encourages new and theoret-
ical perspectives and showcases ground-breaking work that reflects the dynamism
and vibrancy of heritage, tourism and cultural studies. It aims to foster discussions
about both tangible and intangible heritages, and all of their management, con-
servation, interpretation, political, conflict, consumption and identity challenges,
opportunities and implications. This series interprets heritage broadly and caters
to the needs of upper-level students, academic researchers, and policy makers.
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American Communities
Juan de Oñate as a West Texas Icon
Frank G. Perez and Carlos F. Ortega
Creating Heritage
Unrecognised Pasts and Rejected Futures
Edited by Thomas Carter, David C. Harvey, Roy Jones, and Iain J.M. Robertson
The Economics and Finance of Cultural Heritage
How to Make Tourist Attractions a Regional Economic Resource
Vincenzo Pacelli and Edgardo Sica
Urban Recovery
Intersecting Displacement with Post War Reconstruction
Edited by Howayda Al-Harithy
Resilience, Authenticity and Digital Heritage Tourism
Deepak Chhabra
Cultural Heritage and Tourism in Japan
Takamitsu Jimura
Medieval Imaginaries in Tourism, Heritage and the Media
Jennifer Frost and Warwick Frost
For more information about this series, please visit : https://www.routledge.com/
Routledge-Cultural-Heritage-and-Tourism-Series/book-series/RCHT
Medieval Imaginaries
in Tourism, Heritage
and the Media
Jennifer Frost and Warwick Frost
First published 2022
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2022 Jennifer Frost and Warwick Frost
The right of Jennifer Frost and Warwick Frost to be identified as
authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-0-367-13277-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-05391-2 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-02561-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Straive, India
Contents
List of Figures vii
List of Tables ix
Acknowledgements x
1 The continuing fascination for the medieval 1
2 Gazing at the Gothic: Medievalism and tourism in the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries 24
3 Medieval kingship: Hollow crown or tower of strength? 48
4 The princess in the tower? Changing representations
of medieval women 71
5 Medieval knights and chivalry 97
6 Medieval castles and walled cities 117
7 Positioning medieval cathedrals in the modern era 135
8. Robin Hood: Reinterpreting the medieval outlaw 159
9 The Hammer of the gods? Contested and changing
imaginaries of the Vikings 179
10 Encounters with the ‘Other’: Crusaders and Muslims
in medieval narratives 197
11 Japan and medievalism: The samurai, cinema and
cultural appropriation 215
vi Contents
12 Fictional media and heritage from the medieval
perspective: Trends, issues and setting a research agenda 227
Filmography 245
Index 249
Figures
1.1 Tourists in the Old Town of Dubrovnik 2
1.2 Tourists on the Game of Thrones Tour 3
1.3 Re-enacting the Battle of Hastings, 2011 7
1.4 Castello di Amorosa 7
1.5 Timeline 9
2.1 Suits of Armour, Collected in the Nineteenth Century to
Grace Grand Houses 30
2.2 William Morris Print Face Masks 34
2.3 Woolworth Building, New York 37
2.4 Medieval Hall in Eltham Palace 45
3.1 Alfred the Great, ca. 1900–ca. 1950 50
3.2 Plaque Commemorating the Birthplace of St Thomas Becket
in London 54
3.3 Reconstructed Face of Richard III 58
3.4 Visitor Interpretation Providing Alternative Theories About
the Disappearance of the Princes in the Tower at the Richard III
Visitor Centre in Leicester 60
3.5 Ruins of Tintagel Castle, Cornwall 63
3.6 Retail Advertising in Tintagel Linked with Arthur 65
3.7 The Round Table in the Great Hall at Winchester 66
3.8 Glastonbury Abbey 67
4.1 The Princess Tower, Warwick Castle 72
4.2 Princess-Themed Interpretation, Castle of Chinon, France 74
4.3 Dressing Up as a Princess at Walt Disney World 87
4.4 The Béguinage at Ghent 91
5.1 Modern Re-enactment of a Melee, Battle, England 113
6.1 Merlin: The Dragon Tower at Warwick Castle 124
6.2 Chinon Castle in the Loire Valley, France 126
6.3 Projections in Chinon Castle in the Loire Valley, France 127
6.4 Entering the Walled Town of San Gimignano, Italy 129
6.5 Strolling the Shambles in York 130
6.6 Tourists Walking on the City Walls of York 131
6.7 Spon Street, Coventry 132
viii Figures
7.1 Reims Cathedral 139
7.2 A Candle Marks the Spot Where St Thomas Becket Was
Murdered in Canterbury Cathedral 140
7.3 Pilgrims Visiting the Cathedral at Santiago de Compostela, Spain 141
7.4 Magna Carta on Display at Salisbury Cathedral 144
7.5 Tomb of Richard III at Leicester Cathedral 145
8.1 Young Tourists Posing for Photographs at the Robin Hood
Statue, Nottingham 171
8.2 Ye OldeTrip to Jerusalem 171
8.3 Major’s Oak, Sherwood Forest 172
8.4 Displays at the Visitor Centre at Sherwood Forest in 2014 174
8.5 Robin Hood Montage at the Visitor Centre at
Sherwood Forest in 2014 175
8.6 Robin and Marian Statue at Edwinstowe 176
9.1 Animatronics Used at Jorvik to Represent the Everyday Life of
Artisans 190
9.2 Billboard for New Exhibition at Jorvik 191
9.3 York’s Medieval Shambles Reimagined as Diagon Alley with
Harry Potter-Themed shops 193
9.4 Viking Clothing and Handicrafts Sold at the Shield Maiden
Shop, Glastonbury 194
10.1 The Columns of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba 198
10.2 Laneways of Córdoba 209
10.3 The Palatine Chapel, Palermo 211
10.4 Monreale 212
11.1 The Karamon or Ceremonial Gateway to Nijō Castle, Kyoto 224
11.2 The Ninomaru Palace, Nijō Castle, Kyoto 225
11.3 The Moat, Wall and Gate for the Honmaru, Nijō Castle, Kyoto 225
12.1 Dressed in Home-Made Armour for the Battle of Hastings 228
12.2 Social History at Medieval Heritage Sites: The Kitchens at
Glastonbury Abbey 238
12.3 Social History at a Re-enactment Event: Costumed Volunteers
Dyeing Clothing at the Battle of Hastings 239
12.4 Toy Swords for Sale in Tintagel 241
Table
4.1 The Official Disney Princess Franchise 85