Robert Southey: The Expedition of Orsua; and the Crimes of Aguirre

First published in 1821, Robert Southey’s 'Expedition of Orsua and the Crimes of Aguirre' is the first account in English of one of the earliest expeditions down the Amazon River, made in the years 1560-1 by a renegade band of Spanish conquistadors in search of El Dorado. This sensational story features mutiny, madness, and murder– the total breakdown of order among power-hungry colonists as they are carried further and further into the immense jungle and further and further from European settlements. This edition contains a comprehensive critical apparatus that make sense of the major issues posed by the text and show how it contributes to studies of Southey, of colonialism and of travel/exploration writing in the nineteenth century more widely. The volume features a critical and contextual introduction, which sets out the origins and composition of the text together with its publication history, as well as offer a carefully considered view of the interplay between it and other narratives of exploration of the period, bringing into view the wide array of sources and influences Southey drew from. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of 19th century literature and history.