Textual Experience in Thomas Coryat’s Crudities (1611)

Abstract

In 1611, Thomas Coryat, a man with a precarious social and intellectual reputation who was loosely attached to Prince Henry’s household, privately printed his Crudities, or “raw, unrefined” observations of his walking tour of Europe in 1608 (OED “crudities,” def. 1).¹ In this book, which is characterized by the self-conscious adoption of different agendas, discourses, and personas (including that of moralist, wit, antiquarian, and good-natured fool), Coryat puts travel to the use of both revealing his learning and showcasing his talent for eccentric self-presentation. This chapter examines how narrative persona links to travel method to inform the developing genre of the travelogue. It also considers how Coryat’s Crudities tackles relations between travel observation and travel writing, participates in the debate over theoretical and experiential forms of learning, and positions the reader in relation to the experiences available through travel.