-The Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins
This work, commonly identified as part of the Robinsonade genre, is the story of the English sailor Peter Wilkins who becomes shipwrecked in Antarctica. Wilkins discovers Doorpt Swangeanti, a country inhabited by flying people with wings between their spine, arms, and legs. The native people are technologically simple and adhere to a vegetarian diet. Wilkins eventually marries one of the native women, becomes a savior by helping to defeat a group of rebels, and converts the people to Christianity. This novel reflects a conception of colonialism that was widely accepted in England in the mid-18th century.
Robert Paltock (1697-1767).
The Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins, a Cornish man ... Taken from his own mouth, in his passage to England, from off Cape Horn in America, in the ship Hector …
London: J. Robinson and R. Dodsley, 1751.
Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/Record/262331
A version of this text has been digitized and is available through the Internet Archive.