Title: Off-Road Adventures: Reading Statistical Tables in Alexander von Humboldt's Political Essay on the Kingdom of New Spain

Abstract: This article focuses on the visual qualities of Alexander von Humboldt's statistical tables in his Political Essay on the Kingdom of New Spain, with special focus on how they relate to narrative writing. I argue that Humboldt's tables open up spaces inside his narration which fragment the reader's visual field in order to invite unexpected conversations, connections, and ideas—what I call off-road adventures.

Keywords: Alexander von Humboldt, tables, visuality, New Spain

Author: Vera M. Kutzinski, Professor, Department of English, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.

 Off-Road Adventures.pdf