Journeys of a German in England in 1782
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Reisen eines Deutschen in England im Jahre 1782 (English: Journeys of a German in England in 1782) is a travel memoir by German author Karl Philipp Moritz. Moritz was a young scholar and Anglophile traveling to England for the first time. His remarkable observations of 18th century England provide vivid descriptions of people, customs, geography and mannerisms with a youthful optimism and enthusiasm. His journey was approximately two months during June and July of 1782 and began in London where he saw famous sights, attended the theater and watched sessions of Parliament. He then set out on foot for Richmond, stopping at Oxford, Derby, Leicester, Peak Cavern and Northampton and back to London. The book was written as a series of letters to Moritz's friend at home and is in two equal parts, the first in London, the second walking about.
The first edition was published in Germany in 1783 with a second improved edition in 1785. In 1795 an English translation of the second edition was published as Travels, chiefly on Foot, through several parts of England in 1782, described in Letters to a Friend. It was a poor translation containing many errors and was attributed to an unknown English lady, the daughter of Charles Godfrey Woide (1725-1790), who is himself described in Chapter 5 "Information and entertainment". Nevertheless it became the standard translation of the 19th and early 20th centuries, and is still found in the Gutenberg edition edited by John Morley. A new translation was published in 1965 by Reginald Nettel which is now the standard English edition, based on the second 1785 edition from the original source document.
Mortiz was determined to travel by foot to know and understand the country and people better, however he was in for a rude reception. The Inclosure Acts had forced Englands peasants to become employees of land-owners, and those who could not find employment became the "wandering poor" - thus anyone seen walking along the road was seen as a beggar or a thief. As a result Moritz experienced considerable problems finding room and board, and was even run out of some villages, simply for arriving into town on foot.
[edit] Sources
- Reginald Nettel, trans. (1965). Journeys of a German in England in 1782. A new translation.
- Travels in England in 1782, available at Project Gutenberg.. Based on the problematic 1795 translation.
