ABSTRACT
This article enquires how ‘spatial hinges' between author Philip Pullman's series The Book of Dust and different sites are unexpected and elusive, but may opened by mindfulness. Natalie Goldberg's mindful writing practice techniques are used as an interpretative instrument to measure this hinging together of parallel worlds. The research data amalgamates interviews with Oxford fantasy tour guides conducted before COVID 19 restrictions with writing sprints about Lockdown walks in both a local park and on a guided tour of ‘Philip Pullman's Oxford'. The data reveals how a secret commonwealth of elves and fairies infuse the parks with otherworldly, unexpected and exaggerated bucolic awakenings and intersubjectivity, exposing ancient mythical places, including a holloway. On a tour of Oxford, the imaginative storytelling techniques of the guide include impromptu flights of fancy and tilted perspectives that contribute to an atmosphere of unlikeliness, suggestive of Pullman's texts. In addition, an experience of getting lost or ‘de-touring', leads to unexpected encounters with the affective mystical presence of Pullman's novels. The findings conclude that mindfulness may create a state of attunement to the reverberations of the opening of spatial hinges, allowing stories to reveal themselves spontaneously.
ABSTRACT
During the COVID-19 quarantine, reading increased worldwide and with it the demand for literary tourism. While previous research has examined the motivations for literary tourists, no generalizable theory has emerged. After analyzing the previous work on literary tourism, this study compared the applicability of parasocial interaction theory and co-creation theory for literary tourists. This study conducted four surveys of both literary society members and the general public. Most of the antecedents of co-creation theory were significant for literary tourists while two of the antecedents of parasocial interaction theory were applicable for the public, although the overall model was supported. For researchers, this is one of the first papers to apply social science theories to literary tourism. For literary destinations, partnering with literary societies can attract guests who want to help create the experience for themselves and other society members.
ABSTRACT
During the COVID-19 quarantine, reading increased worldwide and with it the demand for literary tourism. While previous research has examined the motivations for literary tourists, no generalizable theory has emerged. After analyzing the previous work on literary tourism, this study compared the applicability of parasocial interaction theory and co-creation theory for literary tourists. This study conducted four surveys of both literary society members and the general public. Most of the antecedents of co-creation theory were significant for literary tourists while two of the antecedents of parasocial interaction theory were applicable for the public, although the overall model was supported. For researchers, this is one of the first papers to apply social science theories to literary tourism. For literary destinations, partnering with literary societies can attract guests who want to help create the experience for themselves and other society members.
ABSTRACT
This article enquires how 'spatial hinges' between author Philip Pullman's series The Book of Dust and different sites are unexpected and elusive, but may opened by mindfulness. Natalie Goldberg's mindful writing practice techniques are used as an interpretative instrument to measure this hinging together of parallel worlds. The research data amalgamates interviews with Oxford fantasy tour guides conducted before COVID 19 restrictions with writing sprints about Lockdown walks in both a local park and on a guided tour of 'Philip Pullman's Oxford'. The data reveals how a secret commonwealth of elves and fairies infuse the parks with otherworldly, unexpected and exaggerated bucolic awakenings and intersubjectivity, exposing ancient mythical places, including a holloway. On a tour of Oxford, the imaginative storytelling techniques of the guide include impromptu flights of fancy and tilted perspectives that contribute to an atmosphere of unlikeliness, suggestive of Pullman's texts. In addition, an experience of getting lost or 'de-touring', leads to unexpected encounters with the affective mystical presence of Pullman's novels. The findings conclude that mindfulness may create a state of attunement to the reverberations of the opening of spatial hinges, allowing stories to reveal themselves spontaneously.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has reached dimensions and caused impacts which were never predicted. 2020 will remain in history as the year in which all global economic activity was largely suspended with the tourism sector being the most affected single sector. Managing tourism and strengthening resilience in response to the pandemic has gained an increasing importance in a globalised world, where changes and interrelationships have become increasingly complex. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that natural risks are not the only factors responsible for the marginalisation of many touristic areas. In this chapter, the impact of the pandemic on tourism, and what it means for our understanding of resilience and marginality is examined, before looking at the situation in Porto. In this city, literary tourism is explored as a valuable new and alternate form of tourism in a post-pandemic world to address marginalisation. The starting point for the discussion is about the possibility of inviting tourists to Porto through a focus on literature, and, in that sense, we will present a reflection about literary tourism as an innovative tourist opportunity that can expand touristic offer to new audiences and minimise the marginalisation effects caused by the lockdown imposed by the pandemic. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.