Guarding authenticity at literary tourism sites

This paper examines the presentation of Canadian author L. M. Montgomery at three literary tourism sites in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Using Goffma n's suggestion that all social actions involve moral claims, the paper anal yzes site geography, signage, orientation speeches, policy documents, as we ll as interviews with key informants to show that site guardians argue for the authenticity of their particular site by making various truth claims an d excluding rival claims. These claims give interpretative form to each sit e. The paper concludes that such forms-modernist, rationalist, and eclectic -contribute to the development of Prince Edward Island literary tourism and help shape a dynamic and distinctive Montgomery heritage. (C) 2001 Elsevie r Science Ltd. All rights reserved.