Hermsprong or Man as he is not
Encyclopedia
Hermsprong: or, Man As He Is Not is a 1796 philosophical novel
by Robert Bage
. It is the main work for which Bage is remembered and was his last novel. He had previously published a novel entitled Man As He Is.
The novel was regarded as radical at the time it was published. It was shaped by the revolutionary ideas of its period and expresses some feminist views through two of its characters, the eponymous hero and Maria Fluart. The views voiced by Fluart were applauded by Mary Wollstonecraft
.
The novel has a somewhat disjointed structure. The first section has a strong philosophical content. The latter half then changes to a sentimental novel
form and approximates to a romance.
The philosophical challenge of the novel is that it concerns an American who has been raised entirely by American Indians, without either formal education or religion. With only nature to teach him, he sees through the hypocrisy of society and English manners. The novel is notable for pursuing the theme of the noble savage
and, in particular, nativism
.
Philosophical novel
Philosophical fiction refers to works of fiction in which a significant proportion of the work is devoted to a discussion of the sort of questions normally addressed in discursive philosophy. These might include the function and role of society, the purpose of life, ethics or morals, the role of...
by Robert Bage
Robert Bage (novelist)
Robert Bage was an English businessman and novelist.Born in Darley Abbey, near Derby, Bage was the son of a paper-maker and was himself a papier. For a time he lived in Elford, Staffordshire...
. It is the main work for which Bage is remembered and was his last novel. He had previously published a novel entitled Man As He Is.
The novel was regarded as radical at the time it was published. It was shaped by the revolutionary ideas of its period and expresses some feminist views through two of its characters, the eponymous hero and Maria Fluart. The views voiced by Fluart were applauded by Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft was an eighteenth-century British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights. During her brief career, she wrote novels, treatises, a travel narrative, a history of the French Revolution, a conduct book, and a children's book...
.
The novel has a somewhat disjointed structure. The first section has a strong philosophical content. The latter half then changes to a sentimental novel
Sentimental novel
The sentimental novel or the novel of sensibility is an 18th century literary genre which celebrates the emotional and intellectual concepts of sentiment, sentimentalism, and sensibility...
form and approximates to a romance.
The philosophical challenge of the novel is that it concerns an American who has been raised entirely by American Indians, without either formal education or religion. With only nature to teach him, he sees through the hypocrisy of society and English manners. The novel is notable for pursuing the theme of the noble savage
Noble savage
The term noble savage , expresses the concept an idealized indigene, outsider , and refers to the literary stock character of the same...
and, in particular, nativism
Nativism
Nativism may refer to:* Nativism or political nativism, a term used by scholars to refer to ethnocentric beliefs relating to immigration and nationalism; antiforeignism...
.
Editions
- 1796.
- 1799, corrected.
- 1828, Chiswick Press.
- 1951, London: Turnstile Press, ed. Vaughan Wilkins.
- 1971, Garland Press, facsimile of 1796 edition.
- 1982, Pennsylvania State University Press, ed. Stuart Tave.
- 1985, Oxford: The World's Classics, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, ed. Peter Faulkner.