Page 318 - Lanzarotto Malocello from Italy to the Canary Islands

318 from Italy to the Canary Islands

new genre would express itself in the following centuries, evolving from
simple reports to larger, even analytical texts, like those by Cadamosto and
all the writings by Vespucci.
Mercantile Humanism, the label given to this literary period, is as very
beautiful as it is deep. It signifies that even when Man is doing business,
talking, writing, acting, he can go within and find elevation; in so doing,
he clearly marks an era.

A piece of writing can involve several themes; as we talked about the
“fantastic”, of awe that is more told that real, we can now turn an eye to
those who drafted similar writings concentrating on the awe-inspiring sen-
sation of vastness.
The example of the Tenerife volcano is a testimony to the eye and the
mind that record everything, but in another scenario, in a remote corner of
the world; therefore, although the description is not rigorous from a scien-
tific point of view, we can estimate how sensation expands greatly when