Abstract

A long parenthesis in the first volume of Daniel Defoe's Tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain (1724-26) helps to illuminate some of the ideological underpinnings of this work, as well as providing clues as to the way the book was composed and the nature of Defoe's information-gathering. Most immediately, it enables us to ascertain what Defoe knew and when he knew it. From omissions, we can deduce what he either did not know or chose not to communicate. When set alongside other references in the text and external evidence, this section throws into relief both the author's view of contemporary British history and the historicity of this view. More widely, its dense coverage sheds light on his ambiguous attitude towards the nobility, an issue which has troubled some readers, caught unawares by his self-gentrification and adoption of a (probably bogus) coat of arms.

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