Meanings, myths and memories : literary tourism as cultural discourse in Beatrix Potter's Lake District

Abstract

Tourism is about the production and consumption, and the \ntransformation and appropriation of cultural meanings. These meanings are \nimposed on landscapes to facilitate economic development but their \ninterpretation by visitors is also important. A case study of Beatrix Potter \ntourism in the English Lake District is used to explore the links between \nliterary tourism and a range of personal, social and cultural values. The \nthesis develops a cultural studies approach for tourism and literary analyses. \nIt then combines qualitative and quantitative research methods to evaluate \nhow visitors made sense of their encounters with the literary place. From \nthe resulting field study material three key themes emerged: childhood and \nadulthood; city, country and preservation; and marketing literary heritage in \nan increasingly global context. These themes both reflect and contribute to \ncontemporary debates in cultural geography. They also help to clarify aspects \nof the relationship between tourism, popular culture and society.

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