Les possibilités de lecture des récits de voyage

Abstract

In this study, we present the possible reading methods of the travelogues. In the era of the birth of the modern travelogues, a huge readership started to be interested in exotic and faraway social systems. In the first part of the study, we present the characteristics of the travelogues in the 18^th century. In Europe and precisely in France, more specifically in Bordeaux, the slave trade of the 18^th century became an important topic. If we wish to discuss the links between the travelogues and the colonization, we also have to mention the economy of the French colonies in this period. Then, we present the colonial approaches of France as well as the financial background and possibilities. In the second part, we analyze the political approach of the slave trade via the travelogues of two authors, Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1729–1811) and Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu (1738–1810).