In 1807 the poet, reviewer and

translator Robert Southey published

a pseudonymous account of a journey
made through England by a fctitious
Spanish tourist, Don Manuel Alvarez
Espriella. Letters from England (1807)
relates Espriellas travels from his arrival
in Falmouth, through the West Country
to London, the Midlands, Lake District,
Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and back to
Cornwall again for the voyage home. On
his journey Espriella comments on every
aspect of British society, from fashions
and manners, to political and religious
beliefs.
Letters from England blurs the
boundaries of fact and fction to produce
a complex work of literary merit there is
no other prose work of its kind during the
Romantic period. Southeys commentary
is shrewd and lively, and provides the
reader with a close-up view of early
nineteenth-century culture and society.
Among the topics covered are: provincial
customs; political intrigues; theatre
and sports; religious sects; poverty and
criminality in urban centres; scientifc
and medical progress; Georgian London;
social change; and the state of the army
and navy.
The edition will be of interest to scholars
of Romantic literature and culture.
The frst fully annotated, critical
edition of Letters from England to be
published.
Presents a side of Southey that is
little known, that of a humorous
prose writer and social commentator
Editorial apparatus comprises of an
extensive introduction, footnotes and
textual variants.
Letters from England
by Don Manuel Alvarez Espriella
Editor: Carol Bolton, Loughborough University
The Pickering Masters
HB c.400pp: April 2015
978 1 84893 209 8: 234x156mm: 100/$180
w w w . p i c k e r i n g c h a t t o . c o m/ e s p r i e l l a
PICKERING & CHATTO
PUBLISHERS
Introduction
Southey Chronology
Letters from England (1807)
Appendix 1: Textual variants in later
editions
Appendix 2: Excerpts from
Southeys Common-Place Books and
correspondence
Appendix 3: Reception history
Contents
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