The Inner Sea: Maritime Literary Culture in Early Modern Portugal

The Inner Sea: A Literary Journey Through Early Modern Portugal's Maritime World is a groundbreaking exploration of how the sea shaped literary creativity in early modern Portugal.

This comprehensive book delves into the diverse archive of genres and disciplines, including epic and lyric poetry, historical chronicles, nautical documents, ship logs, shipwreck narratives, geographic descriptions, and reference to texts of other seafaring powers and literatures of the period.

Through a detailed analysis of the works of arguably the sea poet par excellence of early modern Europe, Luís de Camões, Blackmore reveals how the sea and nautical travel were not merely historical realities but also principles of cultural creativity that connected to larger debates in the widening field of the maritime humanities.

The book concludes with a discussion of depth and sinking in shipwreck narratives as metaphoric and discursive dimensions of the maritime subject, foreshadowing empire's decline. This masterful work offers a comprehensive and engaging look at the intersection of literature and the sea in early modern Portugal, making it an essential read for scholars and enthusiasts alike.