The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. · Chapter
L’Envoy explained
The author concludes the second volume of the Sketchbook, reflecting on the mixed reception of his first volume and the contradictory advice he has received from critics and friends.
What happens
The author concludes the second volume of the Sketchbook, reflecting on the mixed reception of his first volume and the contradictory advice he has received from critics and friends. He decides to continue writing in a miscellaneous style, aiming to please different readers with varied tastes, and acknowledges his own shortcomings as a writer in a foreign land.
Themes in this chapter
Literary Creation and Plagiarism
The author discusses the process of writing, the influence of criticism, and the challenge of pleasing a diverse audience.
National Identity and Cultural Exchange
The author writes as a stranger in a foreign land, seeking the approval of a public he has long revered.
Characters to notice
- Geoffrey Crayon
The author, reflecting on his work and the reception of his first volume, and explaining his approach to the second volume.
Key passages
“Go, little booke, God send thee good passage, And specially let this be thy prayere, Unto them all that thee will read or hear, Where thou art wrong, after their help to call, Thee to correct in any part or all.”
May this small book travel safely, and may its readers help correct its errors.
The author opens with a poetic invocation, asking readers to kindly correct any faults.
“He only can say in his vindication that he faithfully determined for a time to govern himself in his second volume by the opinions passed upon his first; but he was soon brought to a stand by the contrariety of excellent counsel.”
He tried to follow the advice given on his first volume, but the conflicting opinions left him confused.
The author explains the difficulty of heeding contradictory critical advice.
“Thus perplexed by the advice of his friends, who each in turn closed some particular path, but left him all the world beside to range in, he found that to follow all their counsels would, in fact, be to stand still.”
Each friend blocked one direction but left many others open, so following all advice would mean doing nothing.
The author realizes that heeding all suggestions would paralyze his creativity.
“He finds himself writing in a strange land, and appearing before a public which he has been accustomed from childhood to regard with the highest feelings of awe and reverence.”
He writes in a foreign country, addressing an audience he has always deeply respected.
The author expresses his humility and anxiety as a foreign writer.