This essay offers an overview of the state of Smollett Studies today. It is also an argument about what makes Tobias Smollett interesting. It therefore seeks to avoid the value judgments about “English literature” that have dogged Smollett's reputation (ever since “English literature” was invented) and restore him to the “work of writing” in which he was engaged. The essay thus provides an account of the wide‐ranging nature of his work in order to balance a previous critical emphasis on his novels. It includes some views of his role as a translator, historian, critic, editor, and, perhaps more provocatively, “hack.” Recent studies in eighteenth‐century print culture and the (Scottish) Enlightenment point the way to a new Smollett, at work within a messier history of writing.

中文翻译：

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托比亚斯·斯莫列特和写作作品

本文概述了当今的斯摩列特研究状况。关于什么使托比亚斯·斯莫列特变得有趣，这也是一个争论。因此，它试图避免对“斯莫列特”的声誉造成困扰的“英语文学”价值判断（自从“英语文学”被发​​明以来），并将其恢复为他从事的“写作作品”。因此，这篇文章描述了他作品的广泛性，以平衡以前对他的小说的批判重点。它包括一些关于他作为翻译，历史学家，评论家，编辑的角色的观点，或者更可能是“骇客”。在十八世纪的印刷文化和（苏格兰）启蒙运动中的最新研究为新的斯莫列特（Smollett）的发展指明了道路，这是在更混乱的写作历史中起作用的。