The nineteenth century marks the apex of the travel genre. This book focuses on the representation of Cuba by four French travelers to the island from 1810 to 1866. The travelogues of these voyagers allow their first-hand experience to be considered under the mutual gaze involved in cross-cultural encounters. Four French Travelers in Nineteenth-Century Cuba argues that politics and science, as well as romanticism and commerce, coalesce in the travelers' representations of Cuban culture and institutions. The travel accounts constitute exercises in how knowledge spreads and gathers as travelers attempt to entice other visitors to emulate them and forge identities for the Cuban «Others» they have encountered.

Autorentext

The Author: Yvon Joseph is Assistant Professor of Foreign Languages at Suffolk County Community College, New York. He received his Ph.D. in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian literature from the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). A recipient of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, Joseph's many scholarly interests include second language acquisition, travel literature, biblical literature, Medieval, French and Spanish literatures, and African and Caribbean culture and literature.