“The pleasure of receiving your favour”
-
Ellen Valle
Abstract
The article deals with correspondence in natural history in the eighteenth century between England and North America. The corpus discussed consists of correspondence between John Bartram and Peter Collinson, and between Alexander Garden and John Ellis. The approach used in the study is qualitative and rhetorical; the main point considered is how the letters construct scientific centre and periphery in the eighteenth-century Atlantic world. A central concept is the “colonial exchange”, whereby “raw materials” from the colonies — in this case plant and animal specimens, along with proposed identifications and names — are exchanged for “finished products”, in this case codified scientific knowledge contained in publications.
Abstract
The article deals with correspondence in natural history in the eighteenth century between England and North America. The corpus discussed consists of correspondence between John Bartram and Peter Collinson, and between Alexander Garden and John Ellis. The approach used in the study is qualitative and rhetorical; the main point considered is how the letters construct scientific centre and periphery in the eighteenth-century Atlantic world. A central concept is the “colonial exchange”, whereby “raw materials” from the colonies — in this case plant and animal specimens, along with proposed identifications and names — are exchanged for “finished products”, in this case codified scientific knowledge contained in publications.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- About the authors vii
- Introduction 1
- Power and politeness 13
- Letters 27
- Text in context 47
- Intertextual networks in the correspondence of Lady Katherine Paston 73
- Inside and out 89
- Yours sincerely and yours affectionately 115
- “The pleasure of receiving your favour” 131
- Susan Fitzmaurice, The Familiar Letter in Early Modern English: A Pragmatic Approach. 155
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- About the authors vii
- Introduction 1
- Power and politeness 13
- Letters 27
- Text in context 47
- Intertextual networks in the correspondence of Lady Katherine Paston 73
- Inside and out 89
- Yours sincerely and yours affectionately 115
- “The pleasure of receiving your favour” 131
- Susan Fitzmaurice, The Familiar Letter in Early Modern English: A Pragmatic Approach. 155
