Mediterranean
This is the Mediterranean region. It includes texts set in southern Europe, Asia Minor, and
Northern Africa. In these texts, the Mediterranean functions as a holiday destination, but also
as a link between north and south, east and west. This is reflected in the main events
associated with Mediterranean beaches: leisure activities, such as sunbathing and swimming, but
also encounters, arrivals, departures, and murder. Despite the fact that vacationscape is a
prominent frame for literary scenes set on Mediterranean beaches, the mood is often
contemplative or foreboding. This suggests that the Mediterranean is an ambivalent space, a site
of tension in which different interests grapple with each other and in which carefree holiday
atmospheres can quickly tip into something more sinister.