Travellers of the 19th century did not travel uninformed. Before actually getting on the way, they read, they talked, they looked (on maps for example). This means a certain preconception was formed already. Specific ideas about a region were formed before the region itself was entered. We find evidence for that in the different citations of authors in travel narratives. This feeds nicely into the general topic of the Summer School – Networks. In a sense the perceptions of a certain region were formed through circulation of texts. This means that narrative tropes or landscape symbolism travelled beyond borders.

For British travellers in the early 19th century picturesque landscapes had a special appeal. Sometimes these were even the reasons why to visit a certain strip of land. It is of course rather complex what was meant by this term at the time and I am unable to point at the huge literature here. To simplify quite a lot, landscapes were perceived differently and the ‘picturesque’ decided what was seen as beautiful and interesting. Mountainous region had quite another appeal than a flat plain. Ruined castles were perceived differently than the architecture in larger cities or capitals.

We see thus that travellers perceptions were informed and shaped by the network they were involved.