Island Journeys

Islands occupy a special place in the modern psyche. To a large extent, the French have helped to create that fascination through exploration, colonization, missionary work, and war. Powerful personalities shaped by France have often become associated with islands. In this way, exotic islands have become a part of French culture.
Among the first to write a travel narrative, or récit de voyage, of island life was Father Jean-Baptiste Labat (1663-1738) whose Journey in the Islands of America ...