A Tour thro’ the Whole Island of Great Britain was first published in three volumes, dated respectively 1724, 1725, and “1727” (for 1726). More than once, it has been called Daniel Defoe’s most characteristic work, a tribute to its obvious qualities – which include a deep familiarity with the physical, social and economic shape of the nation, combined with descriptive skill and a lively opinionated narrative. The Tour has been well described by Michael Shinagel as “the most graphic personal account of the condition of England, economically and socially, in the first quarter of the eighteenth century, a period that eludes a precise description because it was, as Defoe observed, a …
2481 words
Citation: Rogers, Pat. "Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 April 2019 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8411, accessed 24 November 2024.]