British Travellers in the Early Nineteenth Century on Greece and the Greeks

Abstract

The article treats the image of Greece and the Greeks as shown by the
writings of a selection of 19th c. British travellers. This image, either introduced
or repioduced by these travellers, has given rise to three stereotypes:
a. Greece, treated as an integral part of the Orient, being something “exotic”,
“uncivilized”, “barbarous”; b. Greece, the unworthy heir of the glorious
classical past; c. Greece, as a potential area for prospective colonization.
The impact of these stereotypes has been important in their time; they helped
form the wider public opinion perceptions on Greece and at times even influenced
British policy making on matters related to Greece.