@article{ART003379398},
author={LEE, SUNG JAE},
title={From Sea Monster to Tourist Attraction: Changing Perceptions of Whales in Western History},
journal={Korean Review of French History},
issn={1229-702X},
year={2026},
number={55},
pages={53-94}
TY - JOUR
AU - LEE, SUNG JAE
TI - From Sea Monster to Tourist Attraction: Changing Perceptions of Whales in Western History
JO - Korean Review of French History
PY - 2026
VL - null
IS - 55
PB - KOREAN SOCIETY FOR FRENCH HISTORY
SP - 53
EP - 94
SN - 1229-702X
AB - This study examines, from a diachronic perspective, how perceptions of whales have changed in Western society. In antiquity and the Middle Ages, whales were often depicted as sea monsters, symbolized by figures such as Ketos and Leviathan. Yet they also carried diverse meanings: in the story of Jonah, the great fish serves as an instrument of divine providence, while in the legend of Saint Brendan, the whale appears as a benevolent creature that assists humans. From the late Middle Ages onward, with the development of natural history, whales increasingly became objects of observation and scientific inquiry.
In the modern period, the growth of the whaling industry transformed them into valuable economic resources. While the industrialization of whaling in the nineteenth century led to overexploitation and declining whale populations, Romanticism and nature writing fostered a new sensibility that regarded whales as wondrous creatures possessing value in their own right. This shift eventually contributed to the rise of whale conservation and whale-watching tourism, through which whales came to be valued as living beings rather than resources to be killed and exploited. By tracing these changing perceptions of whales, this study explores new ways of understanding the relationship between humans and nature.
KW - Whale;Monster;Devil;Whaling;Tourist Attraction
DO -
UR -
ER -
LEE, SUNG JAE. (2026). From Sea Monster to Tourist Attraction: Changing Perceptions of Whales in Western History. Korean Review of French History, 55, 53-94.
LEE, SUNG JAE. 2026, "From Sea Monster to Tourist Attraction: Changing Perceptions of Whales in Western History", Korean Review of French History, no.55, pp.53-94.
LEE, SUNG JAE "From Sea Monster to Tourist Attraction: Changing Perceptions of Whales in Western History" Korean Review of French History 55 pp.53-94 (2026) : 53.
LEE, SUNG JAE. From Sea Monster to Tourist Attraction: Changing Perceptions of Whales in Western History. 2026; 55 : 53-94.
LEE, SUNG JAE. "From Sea Monster to Tourist Attraction: Changing Perceptions of Whales in Western History" Korean Review of French History no.55(2026) : 53-94.
LEE, SUNG JAE. From Sea Monster to Tourist Attraction: Changing Perceptions of Whales in Western History. Korean Review of French History, 55, 53-94.
LEE, SUNG JAE. From Sea Monster to Tourist Attraction: Changing Perceptions of Whales in Western History. Korean Review of French History. 2026; 55 53-94.
LEE, SUNG JAE. From Sea Monster to Tourist Attraction: Changing Perceptions of Whales in Western History. 2026; 55 : 53-94.
LEE, SUNG JAE. "From Sea Monster to Tourist Attraction: Changing Perceptions of Whales in Western History" Korean Review of French History no.55(2026) : 53-94.
