This work investigates the cultural construction of the 'suffering traveller' persona and its profound influence on the literature and self-conception of Romantic-era writers. Carl Thompson examines how the physical hardships and dangers inherent in travel were transformed into aesthetic and moral virtues during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. By analyzing a wide range of travelogues and literary texts, he argues that the image of the beleaguered wanderer became a central trope for expressing authenticity, sensitivity, and spiritual depth in an increasingly modernizing world.

Scholars frequently cite this text as a significant contribution to the study of Romantic-era travel writing and the construction of literary identity. Readers often note the academic rigor and the depth of the author's engagement with primary source materials.