Isola rasa: Reimagining Mallorca and Ibiza as a Blank Canvas for Tourism in Travel Fiction

Abstract

This article looks at how travel writing, travel fiction, and the capitalist stage of tourism have together reimagined Mallorca and Ibiza as isolae rasae, or blank geographies. The notion of isola rasa grasps the commodification of these islands as idyllic, timeless spaces, devoid of any complex history and local community, and serving as backdrops for fantasies of Northern European tourists. This transformation, evident in literature, positions such Mediterranean islands as Mallorca and Ibiza as escape zones for travelers seeking a sensual remedy to the alienation they experience in their own societies. The article discusses the ways in which contemporary literary works both reuse and complicate these tropes. By examining works such as Luke Rhinehart’s novel Naked Before the World and Matt Haig’s novel The Life Impossible, the article argues that these works, by narrating the homogenized tourist experience that prioritizes visitors’ fantasies over local dynamics, provide a critical platform that enables a productive discussion of the environmental, social, and cultural costs of mass tourism.