Early Modern Travel and the Discourses of English Nationalism

An exploration of the relationship between early modern travel literature and English nationalism, this book’s primary goal is to assess the response of early modern readers to the nationalist sentiments in Richard Hakluyt’s Principal Navigations. Matthew Day contends that Hakluyt’s collection shaped nationalist thinking, ideas, and notions of identity; and that it influenced nationalist policies and actions in a number of key areas, including politics, navigation, exploration and trade. This study discloses the fundamental importance of early modern travel literature to nationalist discourses and their complex relationship with imperialism. It is based on both printed and manuscript sources, and looks at literature ranging from the drama and poetry to government papers, personal letters, commonplace books, and minutes of trading companies. As a reception history, it appeals not only to literary and cultural historians, but also to scholars of book history.