Iceland: : Imagined and Experienced Landscapes

This thesis is a journey through a layered Icelandic landscape, where the representations and imaginings of outside travelers are in focus. Departing theoretically from narratives of the land- scape, I will discuss how the Icelandic landscape has been created as an imagined geography, and analyze the stories, representations and images infusing its experience and re-creation. Through the hermeneutic method of interpretation, the thesis travels from medieval times to con- temporary with the help of a wide use of actors and their choice of imaginative transportation, including books, maps, diaries, artwork and magazines. The reader will explore a wide array of narratives, which also show how the landscape takes place and becomes imbued with meaning during the act of traveling and interaction with the landscape, whether in body or in mind. Fur- thermore, I discuss the narratives of the landscape through representational acts, and argue that these create meaning for both the individual and collective experience. Whilst the narrative of the landscape shifts depending on time, place and the individual’s experiential baggage, certain common paths have been identified and expanded upon. Yet, these exist within a rugged process where the landscape moves back and forward in Western imagination