DANIEL DEFOE AS A PROMOTER OF ENGLAND’S INDUSTRIAL PROSPERITY IN THE EARLY EIGHTEENTH CENTURY (BASED ON TRAVELS IN THE EASTERN COUNTIES OF ENGLAND)
Keywords:
Daniel Defoe, Enlightenment, East Anglia, industry, manufacture, economic discourseAbstract
This article explores Daniel Defoe’s Travels in the Eastern Counties of England as both a descriptive and persuasive text. It argues that Defoe not only documented economic life but also actively promoted the idea of England as a rapidly developing industrial nation. Writing in the context of the English Enlightenment, he presented economic progress as a key marker of national strength.Focusing on East Anglia and the counties south of London, the study shows how Defoe highlighted the growth of manufacturing, especially in the textile sector, while also noting shipbuilding, metalwork, and other industries. His descriptions often emphasize productivity, diversity of output, and access to trade routes, particularly seaports. At the same time, he acknowledges regional differences and economic challenges.
The article concludes that Defoe’s travel writing functioned not only as observation but also as a form of economic advocacy aimed at shaping public perception of England’s prosperity.
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