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The Honest Merchant Before Adam Smith: The Genesis and Rise of a Literary Prototype in Britain

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The Honorable Merchant – Between Modesty and Risk-Taking

Part of the book series: Ethical Economy ((SEEP,volume 56))

Abstract

This contribution outlines the genesis and rise of the merchant in British literature from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century. It charts a chequered history of early rejection, lingering skepticism with regard to the mercantile life and a slow, gradual, though never uncontroversial acceptance of merchants. This growing acceptance is mainly tied to the evolving positive image of trade and its function of promoting national as well as global wealth. By means of a literary tour d’horizon significant phases of this development up to Adam Smith’s homo oeconomicus are sketched out, with reference to texts by key authors such as Langland, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Bunyan and Mandeville.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Jena, Jena, Germany

    Laurenz Volkmann

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  1. Laurenz Volkmann
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Correspondence to Laurenz Volkmann .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Chair of Business Ethics, Technical University of Munich, München, Bayern, Germany

    Christoph Lütge

  2. Romanisches Seminar, Universität Münster, Münster, Germany

    Christoph Strosetzki

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Volkmann, L. (2019). The Honest Merchant Before Adam Smith: The Genesis and Rise of a Literary Prototype in Britain. In: Lütge, C., Strosetzki, C. (eds) The Honorable Merchant – Between Modesty and Risk-Taking. Ethical Economy, vol 56. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04351-3_6

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