Comparison of Marco Polo and Mandeville's Travels - Term Paper Example

Comparison of Marco Polo and John Mandevilles Travels There are several travel accounts which have influenced the historical development at different times. Some of these travel accounts include Sir John Mandeville’s travels which I believe are fictitious and Marco Polo’s account of his own travels (Akbari and Iannucci 14). The two accounts, fictitious or not had a great influence on early Europeans who ventured beyond the borders of their homelands with an aim of searching for commercial opportunities for their families or wealth. According to Speake’s views on page 394, these accounts were useful for different people in history. For example, Christopher Columbus used Marco Polo’s account as a guide when venturing into the Asian markets centuries ago. Other travelers such as the Hungarian-British archeologists Sir Aurel Stein used Marco Polo’s travel account to find clues leading to archeological remains and sites along the Asian roads that transported silk. In several travel accounts recorded in history, they do not necessarily mean that their bodies were physically removed from one location to another (Speake 394). However, these travel accounts required the historians to embark on different historical perspectives. In addition, these travel accounts were extremely helpful to not only travelers and historians, but students who want to learn about the unusual insights of the societies which these accounts reflect. While the travel accounts reflect on individual thinking, it is still possible to make a comparison between two different travel accounts because they are both similar and different in various ways. Similarities between Polo and Mandeville’s Travels Polo’s narrative and Mandeville’s narrative both present positive views about the East, particularly China. For example, Polo says that the European attitude towards the East should now be different from the attitude that people had many years ago when they did not know a lot about the East (p. 5). Another example that shows how he depicts the East is when he gives his viewers a map of the East, in effort to make the East more understandable in terms of its culture and geographic location. In addition, he also mentions the riches in China and how the people like trading. Polo describes the East in a positive manner to the point that it is more desirable as compared to Europe. This is a similar behavior noted from Mandeville’s narrative, where he describes how he was astonished by the presence of foreign cultures (Mandeville 12). He continues to explore more of the Eastern culture to satisfy the reader’s urge to learn more about the East. For example, Mandeville is extremely positive about the East to the point the he seems more concerned with teaching his readers about the goodness existing in the East and what the West could borrow from the East in regard to culture, values and religious beliefs. He provides reference to the social organization existing in the East, with an aim of learning through self-reflection, how to improve the West. Both narratives provide an inspiration for readers, historians and travelers who seek the challenges that come with travelling to the East. The narratives provide an irreversible shift for the people in medieval times, from their accumulation of fears related to the East and their beliefs that it was only a forested area with animals, plants and monsters. This was a period when there were no televisions, videos or any other form of technology that would show Europe was the only place that human beings could settle. The narratives were helpful to many travelers, philosophers and historian at the time, and explorers such as Christopher Columbus. Given that the two texts have authors depicting their own travels to the East, it is possible to say that the two are some of the best travelers during the medieval times. The only problem is that even though the two authors show that they are travelers through their narratives, it is not possible to tell whether these were the first-hand accounts of the travels made by the two authors. Hence, the two authors struggle to persuade their readers through the use of various examples and depiction of events. The two travel accounts face criticisms from modern-day scholars because there is no evidence in history to show that Polo or Mandeville travelled to the East at that particular time which they both depict in their narratives. This does not show that Polo and Mandeville never went to the East or China in particular. They might have visited the East, but there is little or no evidence to show that they travelled at this certain time of the century. Critics argue that there is no mention of historical monuments such as the Great Wall of China in both texts which makes it harder for readers to believe the authors travelled since they should have mentioned such a great wonder. Lastly, the two authors provide clear details of the cultural dialogue that most readers at this time would not anticipate. According to Akbari and Iannucci such narrative travel authors show that it was possible for the East and the West to meet and agree on certain things or aspects of life, without necessarily falling into the “us” and “them” kind of thoughts or views (p. 16). Even though this was a period where witness accounts were common and used to show that the travel narratives were authentic, there is no proof to show that the two authors travelled. Therefore, it is difficult to conclude whether the East and the West would come into many agreements in regard to aspects of religion, culture power or foods. Differences between Polo and Mandeville’s Travels The authors’ reflection and use of irony and satire differs in many ways. For example, after reading Mandeville’s travel narrative, I noticed that it reveals little about the East because most of what the author writes is already documented in other books. Polo’s narrative seems to show how enthusiastic he was with his travelling (p. 205). For example, he describes the wonders that he found in a lot of amusement. Mandeville does not seem enthusiastic, based on his tone in the narrative and he seems to give a more reflective view of the wonders he saw during his travel. A look at Mandeville’s work before reading it seems like there is no organization like in Polo’s narrative. However, after reading the narrative it becomes clear that it is more of fictional travel writing and not actual traveling writing experience. Unlike in Polo’s narrative which seems more realistic, Mandeville’s narrative challenges the minds of readers with fictional locations which the author uses to satirize the society. The realism and fantasy in both narratives differs in many ways. Polo uses a realistic approach when describing most of his experiences in the narrative. There is a realistic description of events that unfold during his travel. However, Mandeville does not give a detailed or clear view of whether the event is imagined or real. For example in his description of monsters, he does not show his readers whether he has wandered off into realism or fantasy world (Mandeville 185). Unlike Polo, Mandeville leaves his readers to identify the differences between what is unreal and what is real backed by evidence. This is a problem for the modern-day readers who are in most cases used to having the fact and fiction separated whether it is in films, books or magazines. For the medieval audience this strategy may have worked, where both fact and fiction became intertwined in one narrative without distinctions. Polo’s narrative does not confuse the readers because it makes a clear distinction between the events that are real and those that he imagines (p. 11). There are differences in the presentation of the church by the two authors. When Polo is referring to the church or Christians, he does not go into details about what they do wrong or what he likes about them. Mandeville goes into details showing the problems he believes are affecting the church and the followers of Christ. For example, in his prologue which starts from page 3 to 6, he describes how the church continues to be corrupt and how the Christians are not worthy of what Jesus Christ did for them when he died for them. In his narrative, it reaches a place where gives his readers a reported dialogue that he has with the Sultan of Egypt. The Sultan openly criticizes the Christina church because it is full of corrupt Christians (Mandeville 88). In the Sultan’s argument, the Christians murder their own. As a Christian he does not feel obliged to defend the Christian faith and he also does not give a reaffirmation of his own faith. Sadly, he is more concerned about other faiths other than his own and seems to be strictly supportive to their beliefs. Mandeville goes to an extra length to assert that the Sultan’s words are indeed true when he says that it is the reason that people call Christians sinful and wicked (Mandeville 30). Use of dialogue in both narratives differs in many aspects. Polo does not have dialogues in his travels where he shows his readers the cultural exchange that occurs during this travelling episode. The same cannot be said about Mandeville who has several dialogues incorporated in his narrative (Higgins 10). These dialogues do not seem real and seem more like they are fictional. Dialogues in narratives are meant to exchange the ideas that exist between different cultures. In the dialogues presented by Mandeville, the author’s aim is to show the readers that there was exchange of ideas between the Western and Eastern values. This is in respect to the diverse religious beliefs that he had with those he refers to in his dialogues. However, Mandeville does not present such an exchange of ideas, when he portrays the Buddhist views that he learns from the East. He does not offer to give his readers a contract of Buddhist beliefs with his own Christian beliefs. There are key differences that are evident from the way the authors present their narrations. Polo’s point of view is evidently that of a merchant. The language he uses in the narrative such as the “great market and employ” and the details he provides to readers regarding the currency used in East, means of transport and prices are all indicative of a traveler who has seen a lot. On page 107, Polo gives his readers a careful mapping of all the details he believes involve the East. Contrary to Polo’s narrations, Mandeville does not offer his readers the best narrative of the events and how they unfolded (Higgins 8). He does not give enough detail and says in some instances that he left out several details. He does not seem like he wants to go into details explaining the events and how they take place. His narrative is in a representative mode where there are tales, but the facts are not clear. Mandeville also does not give a careful mapping of his events. An excellent example would be when he says that men go from one country to another through the great sea ocean by way of many isles (p. 127). To a modern-day reader, this does not provide an excellent example of how people travel from one country to another by water. Lastly, the other difference is that Polo does not compare the East and the West, in terms of differences except when saying how the cities in the East, such as in China are wonderful. Polo’s narrative provides readers with a sense of places that seem alive or visible in the minds of readers. Mandeville only makes many comparisons between the differences and similarities that exist between the East and the West. In Mandeville’s view, the East has a lot to teach the West when it comes to religious, moral and cultural matters. Hence, he portrays his views in the narrative as a mirror to the West. Works Cited Akbari, Suzanne, and Amilcare Iannucci. Marco Polo and the Encounter of East and West. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. Higgins, Lain. Writing East: The "Travels" of Sir John Mandeville. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011. Mandeville, John. The travels of Sir John Mandeville. Glasgow: University Press, 1990. Polo, Marco. The Travels of Marco Polo. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 1845. Speake, Jennifer. Literature of Travel and Exploration: A to F. London: Taylor & Francis, 2003. Read More