Chapter Twelve. Shadow On The Alps: John Calvin And English Travellers In Geneva

Abstract

In what terms does John Calvin feature in the published literature of English travellers to Geneva in the nineteenth century? The short answer to that question is that he impinges very little. This chapter analysis the John Calvin's place in nineteenth-century memory culture. It explains the figure of Calvin against the background of the English appropriation of Switzerland through tourism during the nineteenth century. The chapter examines the place assigned to Calvin in the representational experience of the mobile middle class. In this representational experience mountains play a particularly significant role. Calvin's place in the imagination of nineteenth century culture is closely related to that era's experience of Switzerland. Keywords: English travelers; Geneva; John Calvin; nineteenth-century memory culture