Imperial Paradoxes

This book explores the intertwined cultural and economic exchanges between Britain and France during their long-standing rivalry, as seen in Imperial Paradoxes.

At war for sixty years, eighteenth-century Britain and France experienced significant demographic, social, and economic exchanges despite their imperial rivalry. This paradoxical relationship fostered participation in scientific and industrial developments, highlighting how competition can drive innovation. Shared interests in standards of living and cultural practices were further enhanced by migration and philosophical exchanges, which facilitated the transmission of values related to urban geography, medicine, teaching, and the arts.

In Imperial Paradoxes, Robert Merrett offers a comparative analysis of British and French literature on these subjects. He illustrates how food, wine, fashion, and tourism served as vital channels for interdisciplinary relations. The book reveals how authors in both nations transformed the concept of empire from mere commercial and military expansion into a metaphor for self-exploration and pleasure. Drawing on themes from cognitive science, Merrett examines how eighteenth-century writers engaged with the dualist and faculty psychology of Western rationalism, incorporating ideas of embodiment and sensory models.

Imperial Paradoxes transcends traditional chronological constraints by intertwining various narratives to create a more holistic understanding. By applying insights from cognitive science, cognitive psychology, and pedagogical theory to prose, poetry, and drama from the period, Merrett uncovers how the everyday practices of eating, drinking, dressing, and traveling provide essential insights into individual literary works and the broader literary history of the time.