The Unfortunate Traveller by Thomas Nashe, published in 1594, tells the story of the life of its main character, Jack Wilton. He starts the tale as a page in a military encampment, then travels through Europe. As always, to summarize a book you should think about various elements of the text: title, characters, setting, style, structure, social and historical context, and other aspects that help explain the work. With this book, for example, part of your summary could be related to how this fits into the picaresque genre and how it is a forerunner of the modern novel. It is considered to be one of the first picaresque novels; it is told in the first person, is written to appear to be autobiographical, and recounts the escapades of a ‘rogue’.

In terms of style and structure this text can be considered part narrative fiction, part travelogue, and part commentary on religion and the politics of its day. The settings are related to the genre, following the journey of Jack Wilton through Great Britain, France, Germany, The Netherlands, and Italy. There are numerous characters—including important historical figures and criminals—whom Jack meets through his adventures, and as is typical of the picaresque genre, there is an interest in "lowlife" characters, trickery, and petty crime.