The text of Great Britain
Subtitle: theme and design in Defoe's Tour
By: Pat Rogers.
Publisher: University of Delaware Press; Associated University Presses
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Newark; London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 247
Subjects: Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731; Travelers' writings, English -- History and criticism; Travelers -- Great Britain -- History -- 18th century; Travel writing -- History -- 18th century; Great Britain -- History -- 18th century -- Historiography
Description: This is the first full-length analysis of A Tour through the Whole Island of Great Britain (1724-26), long recognized as a key book for understanding the eighteenth century and as one of Daniel Defoe's most characteristic works. A principle aim of this book is to describe the elements that went into the making of the Tour.

A substantial introduction sets out a conceptual framework for the chapters that follow, putting the Tour into the historical context of travel writing and the development of a literature of tourism.

This work also reflects the concerns and methods of Defoe's oeuvre as a whole. Other aspects of the Tour's ideology are reviewed, notably its political bearings and its treatment of the South Sea Bubble of 1720, a national disaster that has strong personal overtones for Defoe. Finally, an attempt is made to illuminate the design of the work and the ways in which its formal structure supports Defoe's intellectual attitudes.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 232-233) and index.