Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Ch.Dickens,A.Trollope,andtheSpiritoftheAmericanPlace
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theutilitarianmode:ThomasCooper’sSomeInformationRespecting
America(1794),JosephPickering’sInquiriesofanEmigrant,beingaNarrative
ofanEnglishFarmerDuringtheYear1824-1830,IsaacFiddler’sObservations
onProfessions,Literature,Manners,andEmigrationintheUnitedStatesand
Canada(1833),clearlycateredforawaveofimmigrants(emigrants,whenseen
fromtheoppositeshoreoftheAtlantic),providingthepotentialsettlerswith
practicalinformation.TheAmericanfederation,itsclimate,soil,products,
lawsandreligion,weredescribedbyWilliamCobbettinAYear’sResidence
intheUnitedStatesofAmerica(1818),andbyBasilHallinTravelsinNorth
AmericaintheYears1827and1828(1829).ThemotherofAnthonyTrollope,
FrancesTrollope,recordedherunsavouryimpressionsofsocietyinDomestic
MannersoftheAmericans(1832);whilstFannyKemble’sJournal(1839),
HarrietMartineau’sSocietyinAmerica(1833)andRetrospectofWesternTravel
(1838),andJamesSilkBuckingham’sAmerica.TheNorthernandtheFree
States(1841)werelesspronetocriticism.Thepoliticalbiaswouldinfluence
TorywriterFrederickMarryat,whoseDiaryinAmerica(1839)wasadmittedly
writtenfltodoseriousinjurytothecauseofdemocracy”(TheLettersofCharles
Dickens,vol.III,p.VIII).Whilstthetraveloguesthatwereproducedtoease
theimmigrants’settlinginthenewworldcouldbeseenasendorsing,justin
parts,thenatureofaquest,otherdescriptionsratherpartookofthetravel
bookgenre,oferingawell-documentedaccountoftheUnitedStates.
BozinAmerica
onJanuary4th,1842,averyyoungDickensleavesforAmerica,withhiswife
Catherine,havingalreadystipulatedacontractwithChapmanandHallfor
atravelbookontheUnitedStates.HewillsendhisletterstoJohnForster,
andtoafewotherfriends,andcomposethemanuscriptofAmericanNotes
onhisreturntoEngland.Liketheconscientioustravellersofthepast,
Dickensisequippedwithguidesandtravelbooks,manyalreadyquoted.
Hisstrongexpectationsarethoseofaradicalwriter,andanadmirerof
Americandemocracy(Ledger).Inadditiontothis,hispurposeistopromote
internationalcopyright:anactofjusticetowardsmanyEnglishwriters,such
asWalterScottandhimself,astheirbooksarebeingregularlypiratedby
theAmericannewspapers.Afteraperilouscrossing,thefirstplaceDickens
visitsisBoston.Herethereportisaboutpublicinstitutionslhospital,
orphanage,lunaticasylum,prisonlandfullofpraisefortheUnited
States.NearBostonheappreciatestheLowellfactory,wheregirlsseemto
betreatedinaverycivilizedwayandevenhaveamagazineoftheirown,
TheLowellOfering;hedwellsatlengthonthePerkinsInstitutefortheBlind,