The Travels Of Marco Polo By Marco Polo (approx. 1254 – 1324) Essay, Research Paper
… Since … our first Father Adam …
never hath there been Christian, or Pagan, or Tartar, or Indian or any
man of any nation , who in his own person hath had so much knowledge and
experience of the divers parts of the World and its Wonders as hath had
this Messer Marco!
So begins The Travels of Marco Polo. Over
the centuries numerous translations have appeared in many languages. The
book has been popular since its publication and
has served as a guide to various explorers
and adventurers. Christopher Columbus, who wouldn’t be sailing to the New
World until almost two centuries later, was well acquainted with the text.
In Polo’s day, the immensely popular and
highly objective, descriptive tales were regarded as fiction. No one could
accept that such fantastic places and people really existed. We must assume
in reading the book that there are exaggerations, but the editor’s notes
indicate that some of the most fantastic elements are, indeed, based on
fact.
The journal’s literary style, in keeping
with the times, is romanticized. In spite of this, on his deathbed, Marco,
pressed to retract some of his stories, replied: “I have not told the half
of it.” And as travel to the East increased, more and more of Marco’s claims
were verified.
In some of the many renditions of the work,
editors have chosen to omit repetitive information; therefore, each version
varies somewhat in content. The excitement and adventure, however, do not
vary, and the name Marco Polo still conjures up dreams of adventurous Oriental
travel and fabulous discoveries.