The Possibilities of Medieval Fiction

"The Possibilities of Medieval Fiction" argues that marvels in medieval travel literature function as unlikely possibilities that appeal to readers precisely because of their indeterminacy. Disputing the common idea that medieval readers accepted marvels as true, it argues that marvels' uncertainty was an aesthetic principle designed to pique imagination. It focuses on Mandeville's Travels and shows how its author carefully positions marvels between inventions and facts.