Four French Travelers in Nineteenth-century Cuba

Book excerpt: 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.