Współczesny "flaneur"? : postać spacerowicza w dyskursie turystycznym

Abstract

The category of a stroller opens up a wide spectrum of possible interpretations of urban space. Tourists that are visiting, and at the same time experiencing this space become the participants of complex and multidimensional discourse types, which have a common subject — the city. The article is an attempt at delineating the profile of a contemporary stroller and confronting it with the concept of 19th century flâneur — the protopype of an individual whose aim is to walk round the city at a leisurely pace and to experience its space. The research subject are the texts of walking guidebooks presenting main Polish cities. The analysis of fragments of such publications can also provide some insight into the mechanisms of reception of modern cities.