The Forms of Error in Defoe's Tour: Culpable and Venial Mistakes

The article explores forms that error may take in a historical work, here Daniel Defoe's Tour thro' Britain. An introduction attempts to place the book in relation to the production of knowledge, as compared with books in allied genres. The first main section considers the nature and causes of error, divided into categories of culpable and venial mistakes. The second looks at the way in which the Tour textualizes the author's doubts concerning the accuracy of sources. The third reviews in detail three cases where Defoe's error has become evident in the light of modern scholarly knowledge, techniques, and procedures. A brief conclusion suggests implications for our approach to literature of the past.