Definition, apropriation and construction of space in the unknown southern lands

Abstract

The Terra Australis Incognita both as a geographical space and a topic in travel literature in the Early Modern Age played a relevant role in mid-17th century France, as it fulfilled the double task of justifying overseas expansion and stage-setting the many imaginary societies envisaged during this period. Certainly, it was the first navigation to the South Pacific that intensified the myth of an Austral land. However, it is to the rediscovery and reinterpretation of the Ancient texts that took place in Europe as from the 15th century that we should also attribute the fact that pre-modern notions now turned into the driving force of overseas expansion. In the particular case of mid-17th French utopian literature, representation and experience will make the Austral land-unknown home of the most radical otherness. The fact that in 1771 Cook proved the inexistence of this large continental mass, should therefore not, by any means, make us dismiss the importance of the terra australis incognita as a motivating force behind France’s ambitions overseas nor its stimulating effects in Modern philosophical thought.