The travelogue on the press of the enlightenment: between prodesse et delectare and satiric instrumental use

Abstract

The article pretends to analyse the importance of travelogue in the press of the second half of the 18th century, especially the eighties, its high period. A first section deals with real travelogues included in the press, in line with the characteristic enlightened concept prodesse et delectare, which means instructing the readership in an amusing way about ‘foreign character and customs’. In a second section there is a study about fictitious and imaginary travelogues whose main function is to become a medium for political and social critic.