Lieux d'imagination and historical fiction: The lure and blur of the real in media tourism

This article employs autoethnography and the lieux d'imagination framework to critique the experience of walking a Media Tourism trail based on a historical novel, expanding beyond the usual focus on purely fictional works. The historical fiction of The Gallows Pole blurs with complementary West Yorkshire landscapes, physical markers and heritage to produce a historically-informed place of imagination. This distinctive variant of lieux d'imagination is characterised by a sense of rootedness and connection to the past, grounded in the belief that the narrative, or something similar, occurred. This belief shapes a meaningful imaginative experience, offering the lure of the real. A conceptual framework identifies elements of both historically-informed and fiction-based media that inform and distinguish corresponding tourist experiences. • Uses autoethnography and conceptualises historically-informed lieux d'imagination. • Advances Media Tourism studies beyond pure fiction to consider reality-status. • Scrutinises the unique qualities and appeal of Historical Fiction in Media Tourism. • Corresponding narrative and physical markers/landscape connect past and present • A rooted experience blends ‘Northern’ identity with a historical narrative/location.