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Travel Writing 1700 - 1830: An Anthology
By the end of the eighteenth century, British travelers had fanned out to every corner of the world, driven by widely varying scientific curiosity, commerce, colonization, diplomacy, exploration, and tourism. In letters, journals, and books, travelers wrote first-hand of exotic lands
and beautiful scenery, and of encounters with strange peoples and wildlife. This anthology brings together the best writing from authors such as Daniel Defoe, Mary Wollstonecraft, Olaudah Equiano, Mungo Park, Maria Nugent and many others, to provide a comprehensive selection from this emerging
literary genre.
and beautiful scenery, and of encounters with strange peoples and wildlife. This anthology brings together the best writing from authors such as Daniel Defoe, Mary Wollstonecraft, Olaudah Equiano, Mungo Park, Maria Nugent and many others, to provide a comprehensive selection from this emerging
literary genre.
560 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 12, 2007
I'm loving this book right now and it made me put some others aside. It is what the title says - British travel writing taken from primary sources from the 1700s till 1830. The dates not conincidentally coincide with the rise of the British Empire.
Two passages stand out at this point - Daniel Defoe writing about an encounter with a British mining family that live in a cave and one from a woman who took part in a tour of the Waterloo battleground only weeks after the battle took place. Both show an an awareness of the potential awkwardness and rewards of travel. Defoe and his group go on a typically tourist side trip, not unlike a roadside attraction. They visit the grave of a "giant" said to be on the top of a hill. Of course they leave their servants to watch the horses. On the way, Defoe encounters a mining family whose experience is utterly foreign to him, even in his own country, and he's fascinated. The family seems happy but live in a way that strikes him and his companions as primitive and hard. They grapple with giving aid - do they need it, should they, to whom, how much? Charlotte Anne Eaton tours a battle site and sees evidence of the actual carnage involved in war first-hand. She comes away shaken and moved but also reflects on the awkwardness of battlefield souvenirs.
Most of the passages are taken from letters that weren't intended to be published or shared beyond a close circle. It's fascinating to read these initial impressions of other cultures, which say as much about British attitudes as the people they encounter. It also makes me examine my own experience with travel and other cultures - and how these authors or their subjects would view our own adventures in foreign lands. It makes me think of the claims by remote viewers - the window into the past works both ways. You put yourself into their shoes and they can see you watching.
Two passages stand out at this point - Daniel Defoe writing about an encounter with a British mining family that live in a cave and one from a woman who took part in a tour of the Waterloo battleground only weeks after the battle took place. Both show an an awareness of the potential awkwardness and rewards of travel. Defoe and his group go on a typically tourist side trip, not unlike a roadside attraction. They visit the grave of a "giant" said to be on the top of a hill. Of course they leave their servants to watch the horses. On the way, Defoe encounters a mining family whose experience is utterly foreign to him, even in his own country, and he's fascinated. The family seems happy but live in a way that strikes him and his companions as primitive and hard. They grapple with giving aid - do they need it, should they, to whom, how much? Charlotte Anne Eaton tours a battle site and sees evidence of the actual carnage involved in war first-hand. She comes away shaken and moved but also reflects on the awkwardness of battlefield souvenirs.
Most of the passages are taken from letters that weren't intended to be published or shared beyond a close circle. It's fascinating to read these initial impressions of other cultures, which say as much about British attitudes as the people they encounter. It also makes me examine my own experience with travel and other cultures - and how these authors or their subjects would view our own adventures in foreign lands. It makes me think of the claims by remote viewers - the window into the past works both ways. You put yourself into their shoes and they can see you watching.
September 7, 2015
An excellent anthology which grabs a wide variety of texts including not only Grand Tour narratives, but also texts by slaves, explorers, and missionaries in all parts of the globe, except for India and Asia. As an 18th century lit scholar, I hadn't come across many of these texts before, and they made me rethink some of my perspectives of the 18th century. It's difficult to read Pope and a slave owner side-by-side, y' know?
It's always difficult to choose good excerpts, and Bohls and Duncan do an excellent job, though, inevitably, I think their choices misrepresent certain texts a bit. For example, for Defoe's Tour, they print a description of a poor woman living in a cave, in which Defoe gets rather sentimental and reflective, but which is not at all like the rest of the work.
Regardless, I highly recommend for those looking for a great introduction to travel lit, especially 18th century or British. Some of the texts are boring, but many of them are entirely engrossing.
It's always difficult to choose good excerpts, and Bohls and Duncan do an excellent job, though, inevitably, I think their choices misrepresent certain texts a bit. For example, for Defoe's Tour, they print a description of a poor woman living in a cave, in which Defoe gets rather sentimental and reflective, but which is not at all like the rest of the work.
Regardless, I highly recommend for those looking for a great introduction to travel lit, especially 18th century or British. Some of the texts are boring, but many of them are entirely engrossing.
January 23, 2009
I wish I would have bumped into this book sooner! It is so enjoyable to read accounts of 18th-19th century travellers! I find it a really interesting collection and can but recommend it as essential for all who like the genre. It doesn't get boring as it is more like a collection of short stories. Fantastic appetizer for less known travel authors and offers many discoveries to benefit from.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews