Isaak Iselin in Hawaiʻi, 1807
Intertextuality I – Task
It is hard to know what Isaak Iselin read prior to his journey, there being no list of his library and no comprehensive record in his writings. However, in several passages of his travelogue he hints that he was very familiar with the writings of James Cook and George Vancouver. This was because both men were well known for having left some of the fullest accounts of the Hawaiian Islands—or the Sandwich Islands, as the British named them—by the time Iselin visited in 1807.
James Cook was the captain of the first European ship to visit Hawaiʻi in 1778, during his third and final expedition to the Pacific. George Vancouver, present as an officer on this third expedition, visited the islands again as captain of the HMS Discovery in 1792.
Referring to the relevant page numbers (below), skim two extracts from Vancouver's and Iselin's accounts, in which both authors describe their arrival at Kealakekua Bay.
Compare their style and content. How has Iselin been «inspired» by Vancouver's text and where do you see differences? Which of the following points are mentioned in which extract? Think of more accordances.
Title page of the first volume of George Vancouver's 1798 travelogue.
Vancouver, George. A voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the world; (etc.). London: Printed for G. G. and J. Robinson (etc.), 1798.