In "The History and Adventures of an Atom", a London haberdasher relates extraordinary tales of ancient Japan as dictated to him by an omniscient atom that has lived within the bodies of great figures of state. Intended "for the instruction of the British ministers", the work is a savage allegory of England during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), draping kings and politicians, domestic and foreign affairs, in an intricately detailed, endlessly allusive veil of satire. Its commentary laced with vitriol, this book combines ...
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In "The History and Adventures of an Atom", a London haberdasher relates extraordinary tales of ancient Japan as dictated to him by an omniscient atom that has lived within the bodies of great figures of state. Intended "for the instruction of the British ministers", the work is a savage allegory of England during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), draping kings and politicians, domestic and foreign affairs, in an intricately detailed, endlessly allusive veil of satire. Its commentary laced with vitriol, this book combines the concerns of the author's historical and political writings with the often fantastic expression of a mind unleashed in the world of fiction. Creating from the details of Japanese history an ingenious catalogue of English places and personalities - from the upstart ruler "Taycho", whose graspings for power resemble William Pitt's, to a god of war called "Fatzman" who suggests the grotesquely obese Duke of Cumberland - Smollett also draws on the imagery of the period's scurrilous political cartoons. In addition to presenting portraits of George II, George III and their cabinets, and chronicling the rise and fall of Pitt, Newcastle and Bute, the atom reports on events in the American colonies, battles in the Continental and global wars, and the domestic crises of 1763-1765. Smollett criticizes the moneied interests of London and the clamorous voice of the underclass "mob"; ridicules George II's disastrous support of Frederick the Great's costly military campaigns; and expresses the prophetic fear that Great Britain, extending its possessions too far, might sink under its own weight. Edited and introduced by Robert Adams Day, this edition provides prepared text, historical annotations and a key to personages and places. Day establishes the authorship of the long-disputed work, placing it within the context of Smollett's writings and opinions, his times and literary world.
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