Mortimerの地理書の概要 : プリュザン「モーティマー夫人の不機嫌な世界地誌」批判

概要

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In 1849-1854, a juvenile writer Mortimer, F. L. published two titles of geography book, Near home and Far off. Pruzan, T. abstracted severe description form these books and compiled his The clumsiest people in Europe. Pruzan neglected ordinary description and picked up eccentric one, and made up emotional style, which he ttributes to Mortimer, by gathering sentences from plural paragraphs into one paragraph. He even altered the original neutral captions of illustrations into sensational ones. His characterization of her books as superficial, obsolescent and unrealistic is in valid. In the prefaces of the books, Mortimer declared that books for infants should be superficial so as to inspire their desire to know, and that her books were preliminary to reports of missionary activities. She attached importance to secular knowledge, her books for them wrere not `sadistic'. Egocentricism of Mortimer, perhaps common in mid-19th century Britain, is backed up by civilized/savage discrimination and the idea of equality of souls in the sight of God. It was far from nationalism which prevailed from the latter half of 19th century. Pruzan failed to grasp this point and to examine it in the context. Rather he regarded her `racism' as omnipresent in everyone and everytime, and forgave it in the same `scornful' manner as Mortimer.