Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation
8-2011
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
History
Committee Chair
McLeod, John Edmond
Author's Keywords
Tobias Smallett; British identity; Travels through France and Italy; Atlantic history; Eighteenth-century Britain; Great Britain
Subject
Smollett, T. (Tobias), 1721-1771. Travels through France and Italy.; Historiography--Great Britain--History--18th century; Nationalism--Great Britain--History--18th century; Great Britain--Social conditions--18th century
Abstract
This thesis examines Tobias Smollett's Travels through France and Italy as a product of the dynamics influencing British identity in the eighteenth century. Specifically, it compares Smollett's Travels with recent trends in the historiography of British identity and Atlantic history and defines Smollett's place in those scholarly debates. By using Tobias Smollett as an individual and Travels as reflections of Smollett's own conception of British identity, this thesis highlights some of the shortcomings of extant historiography on British identity and Atlantic history. It particularly engages issues of authority, power, religious belief, and the self/other dichotomy as they contribute to both collective and individual senses of national identity. Finally, the author intends for this thesis to raise questions about certain historiographical assumptions and analyzes their utility in specific contexts.
Recommended Citation
Skaggs, Michael Anthony 1987-, "Constructing British identity : Tobias Smollett and his Travels through France and Italy" (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1336.
https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/1336
