An Inland Voyage

"For will anyone dare to tell me that business is more entertaining than fooling among boats? He must have never seen a boat, or never seen an office, who says so."

-Robert Louis Stevenson, An Inland Voyage (1878)



An Inland Voyage (1878), by Robert Louis Stevenson, describes a canoe trip through France and Belgium that he took with his friend Sir Walter Grindlay Simpson in 1876. Although he had never been in a canoe before, Stevenson was an excellent traveler and enjoyed every aspect of the adventure. His book describes barges, with "their flower-pots and smoking chimneys," and fishermen, "stupefied with contentment." In addition, the author reflects on the mindlessness of canoeing, with the "ecstatic stupor" it provides, along with wider issues, including the French character and the artist's role in society.