English Travel Narratives in the Eighteenth Century Exploring Genres Studies in Early Modern English Literature Series

The eighteenth century, commonly described as the age of the novel, is also the golden age of travel narratives. In this English edition of Le Récit de voyage en Angleterre au XVIIIe siècle, the genre of the travel narrative receives a treatment based on its development in close relationship with fiction. The book provides a survey of famous travel narratives: James Boswell's journal of a tour to Corsica and account of his trip to Scotland with Samuel Johnson, Laurence Sterne's enigmatic Sentimental Journey, Tobias Smollett's Travels through France and Italy. Negotiating between inventory and invention, these texts invite a reconsideration of conventional generic distinctions. They open up a literary space in which the full significance of the real and fictional journey motif can be explored.

Contents: General editor's preface; Part I: Prefatory essay; Part II: Introduction; James Boswell and Samuel Johnson; Tobias Smollett: deciphering letters; Laurence Sterne: the voyage and its double; The vagaries of the picaresque; Conclusion: The travel narrative and literary criticism; Chronological landmarks; Bibliography; Index.

Jean Viviès