Sketching the Cape: Thomas Pringle's Poems Illustrative of South Africa

In this essay I consider Scottish poet Thomas Pringle’s motives for depicting his South African colonial home in poetry, possibly as a means of knowing, civilizing, and teaching himself and others about his surroundings. I not only assert the Romantic nature of his endeavor but also maintain Pringle’s originality in finding new ways of portraying an unfamiliar culture. In my discussion of Pringle’s representation of South African natives, I suggest that Pringle’s openness led him to an implicit critique of the colonial enterprise.