Mapping

Well, I suppose I am making progress on my talk for tomorrow about mapping medieval manuscripts (mmm). But the whole question of maps and literature is really so tricky. I can trust the data 100%, know it is coming from good sources that have been triple checked, and yet still, to see it put onto a computer generated map instills some sort of disquietude, probably generated by the advertising agency, and their reliance on the visual to constantly sell us things. If I use the same register as them to create an academic argument, do I run the risk of conjuring the same mistrust? Or is the rhetorical power of the visual worth taking that risk?

These are the questions I am grappling with this fine Saturday morning.

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