The compleat cyclist: Izaak Walton’s influence on early cycling literature
Author
Faculty Advisor
Date
2024
Keywords
Izaak Walton, cycling, The Compleat Angler, literary cyclists, Mary Lamb
Abstract (summary)
It may seem a stretch to suggest that a seventeenth-century book about fishing had an influence on late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century literature about cycling, but that is precisely what I am proposing. Around the turn of the twentieth century, Izaak Walton's classic text The Compleat Angler: The Contemplative Man's Recreation (1653) was frequently mentioned as an inspiration and touchpoint by literary sporting writers, especially literary cyclists. Something about Walton's book clearly spoke to a certain kind of cycling writer at this time: its themes of idyllic ruralism, the contemplative life, and (mostly male) friendship, together with its argument for a civilized, genteel, sporting pastime, were instructive for those literary cyclists trying to foster a positive and sophisticated image of what I call "rambling" cycle travel.
Publication Information
Buchanan, D. (2024). The compleat cyclist: Izaak Walton’s influence on early cycling literature. Aethlon: The Journal of Sport Literature, 41(2), 53-75.
DOI
Notes
Item Type
Article
Language
Rights
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