Abolmasov V.V., Malchikova S.P.

The journey of “good-natured scoundrel” William Sproston Caine through picturesque Japan. Pp.70-80.

UDC 94(520)

DOI 10.37724/RSU.2025.87.2.007

 

Abstract. Travel literature occupies a special place in scientific knowledge, becoming a valuable source for various areas of research, including historical. The genre of travelogue reveals to the reader not only the places visited by the travelers and the people they met during the tour, but also the author’s personality, his/her worldview, ideals, and values. Therefore, the study of images of “aliens” on the pages of travelogues seems to be a promising and relevant area of research for the history of mentality and imagology.

The British politician and temperance activist William Sproston Caine, while traveling around the world, among others, also visited the Land of the Rising Sun. Our study looks at his description of Japan, the image he creates on the pages of his travelogue. As an important tool in shaping perceptions of “alien” cultures, this travelogue provides an eyewitness view of the Land of the Rising Sun through the lens of British civilization. The subject of our study is the perceptions of the Japanese and Japan examined in the work A trip round the world in 1887–1888. The relevance of the work lies in the novelty of the material in both Russian and English. Previously, this travelogue remained outside the scope of historical research.

For W. S. Caine, Japan appears as an almost civilized state. But it still has some barbaric features, so it cannot become one with European states. At the same time, the Briton refuses to let the Land of the Rising Sun imitate European states, believing that its originality and “exoticism” are an important asset. The scientific results are intended to expand and actualize the knowledge about British-Japanese relations of the 19th century, about the image of Japan from the position of Europe and its influence on political and cultural contacts between the countries.

 

Keywords: William Sproston Caine, Japan, Great Britain, travel, travelogue, memoirs, travel literature.

 

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