Hermsprong or, Man as he is Not

<p>Robert Bage’s <em>Hermsprong</em> satirizes English society of the 1790s targeting, in particular, corrupt clergymen, grasping lawyers and wicked aristocrats. The protagonist, a European raised among Native Americans, visits Europe and is dismayed by what he encounters. While such satire might seem conventional enough, <em>Hermsprong</em> is distinguished from other political novels of the period by its comedy, and it is a measure of Bage’s success that he won the admiration of writers as different in political outlook as Mary Wollstonecraft and Sir Walter Scott. Indeed, <em>Hermsprong</em> is built around debate, and celebrates the pleasures of the lively exchange of ideas.</p><p>This Broadview edition contains extensive primary source appendices including material by William Godwin, Benjamin Franklin, Pierre de Charlevoix, and Voltaire.</p>