COMMUNICATIVE-PRAGMATIC AND STRUCTURAL-SEMANTIC ORGANIZATION OF TEXT TYPE “TRAVEL REPORT” AT THE TURN OF 17TH AND 18TH CENTURY (BY THE EXAMPLE OF HUNTER FRIEDRICH VON GRAM’S TRAVEL REPORT ACROSS THE BIG BELT IN 1684)

Abstract

The paper discusses functions and structure of an earlier uninvestigated manuscript of a travel report written by the German noble Friedrich von Gram after his journey across the Big Belt. At the beginning of the 18th century the author aims not only to enlighten the reader but also to entertain him bringing to the forefront actual events during the journey and his own emotions, which substantially enlarges the narrative-dynamic parts against the static-descriptive ones. Nevertheless, descriptions of land and people stay an inherent part of this text type fulfilling the informative and the certification functions. As closest analogues of the manuscript are reviewed „Ostindianische Kriegsdienste“ by Jacob Saar (1672) and „Merckwürdige Nachrichtaus Ost-Indien“ by Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Plütscho (1708). Despite the difference in size and subject all the travel reports reveal a similar structure (an explanatory title, an introduction containing information about time, place and participants of the journey, a main body with a consequent description of the events and a conclusion which represents a summarizing and didactic nature).

Keywords:

text type “travel notes”, Friedrich von Gram, text functions and text structure