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1Helenliz
A thread for discussion of Robinson Crusoe. any and all comments welcome.
This books makes lots of lists, it is on the 1001 list, it frequently appears in lists of best books. And I've never read it. Now to rectify that. The introducition below is taken from the Guardian newspaper, who put it as number 2 in their list of the 100 best novels in 2013. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/30/100-best-books-robinson-crusoe
English fiction began with The Pilgrim’s Progress, but nearly 50 turbulent years, including the Glorious Revolution, passed before it made its great leap forward. The author of this literary milestone is a strangely appealing literary hustler of nearly 60 years old originally named Daniel Foe (he added “De” to improve his social standing), a one-time journalist, pamphleteer, jack of all trades and spy. Like Bunyan, he had suffered at the hands of the state (the pillory, followed by prison in 1703). Unlike Bunyan, he was not religious.
His world-famous novel is a complex literary confection. It purports to be a history, written by Crusoe himself, and edited by Daniel Defoe who, in the preface, teasingly writes that he “believes the thing to be a just History of Fact; neither is there any Appearance of Fiction in it”.
So what do we find in this “History” ? Robinson Crusoe has three elements that make it irresistible. First, the narrative voice of the castaway is Defoe’s stroke of genius. It’s exciting, unhurried, conversational and capable of high and low sentiments. It’s also often quasi-journalistic, which suits Defoe’s style. This harmonious mix of tone puts the reader deep into the mind of the castaway and his predicament. His adventures become our adventures and we experience them inside out, viscerally, for ourselves. Readers often become especially entranced by Crusoe’s great journal, the central passage of his enforced sequestration.
And here is Defoe’s second great inspiration. He comes up with a tale, often said to be modelled on the story of the castaway Alexander Selkirk, that, like Bunyan’s, follows an almost biblical pattern of transgression (youthful rebellion), retribution (successive shipwrecks), repentance (the painful lessons of isolation) and finally redemption (Crusoe’s return home). In storytelling terms, this is pure gold.
And third, how can we forget Defoe’s characters? The pioneer novelist understood the importance of attaching memorably concrete images to his narrative and its characters. Friday and his famous footstep in the sand, one of the four great moments in English fiction, according to Robert Louis Stevenson; Crusoe with his parrot and his umbrella: these have become part of English myth. Defoe, like Cervantes, also opts to give his protagonist a sidekick. Friday is to Crusoe what Sancho Panza is to Quixote. Doubles in English literature will regularly recur in this list: Jekyll and Hyde, Holmes and Watson, Jeeves and Wooster.
Which brings me to Defoe’s final quality as a writer. He was the complete professional, dipped in ink. Throughout his life, he produced pamphlets, squibs, narrative verse and ghosted ephemera (he is said to have used almost 200 pen names). He was a man who liked to be paid for what he wrote, lived well and was almost always in debt. He was not a “literary novelist”, and would not have understood the term, but his classic novel is English literature at its finest, and he hit the jackpot with Robinson Crusoe.
By the end of the 19th century, no book in English literary history had enjoyed more editions, spin-offs and translations than Robinson Crusoe, with more than 700 alternative versions, including illustrated children’s versions. The now-forgotten term “Robinsonade” was coined to describe the Crusoe genre, which still flourishes and was recently revived by Hollywood in the Tom Hanks film, Castaway (2000).
Note on the text:
The text was first published in London by W Taylor on 25 April 1719. This first edition credited the work’s fictional protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, and its title was The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner: Written by Himself. It sold well; four months later, it was followed by The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. A year later, riding high on the market, came Serious Reflections During the Life and Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. Most readers will only encounter the first edition.
This books makes lots of lists, it is on the 1001 list, it frequently appears in lists of best books. And I've never read it. Now to rectify that. The introducition below is taken from the Guardian newspaper, who put it as number 2 in their list of the 100 best novels in 2013. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/30/100-best-books-robinson-crusoe
English fiction began with The Pilgrim’s Progress, but nearly 50 turbulent years, including the Glorious Revolution, passed before it made its great leap forward. The author of this literary milestone is a strangely appealing literary hustler of nearly 60 years old originally named Daniel Foe (he added “De” to improve his social standing), a one-time journalist, pamphleteer, jack of all trades and spy. Like Bunyan, he had suffered at the hands of the state (the pillory, followed by prison in 1703). Unlike Bunyan, he was not religious.
His world-famous novel is a complex literary confection. It purports to be a history, written by Crusoe himself, and edited by Daniel Defoe who, in the preface, teasingly writes that he “believes the thing to be a just History of Fact; neither is there any Appearance of Fiction in it”.
So what do we find in this “History” ? Robinson Crusoe has three elements that make it irresistible. First, the narrative voice of the castaway is Defoe’s stroke of genius. It’s exciting, unhurried, conversational and capable of high and low sentiments. It’s also often quasi-journalistic, which suits Defoe’s style. This harmonious mix of tone puts the reader deep into the mind of the castaway and his predicament. His adventures become our adventures and we experience them inside out, viscerally, for ourselves. Readers often become especially entranced by Crusoe’s great journal, the central passage of his enforced sequestration.
And here is Defoe’s second great inspiration. He comes up with a tale, often said to be modelled on the story of the castaway Alexander Selkirk, that, like Bunyan’s, follows an almost biblical pattern of transgression (youthful rebellion), retribution (successive shipwrecks), repentance (the painful lessons of isolation) and finally redemption (Crusoe’s return home). In storytelling terms, this is pure gold.
And third, how can we forget Defoe’s characters? The pioneer novelist understood the importance of attaching memorably concrete images to his narrative and its characters. Friday and his famous footstep in the sand, one of the four great moments in English fiction, according to Robert Louis Stevenson; Crusoe with his parrot and his umbrella: these have become part of English myth. Defoe, like Cervantes, also opts to give his protagonist a sidekick. Friday is to Crusoe what Sancho Panza is to Quixote. Doubles in English literature will regularly recur in this list: Jekyll and Hyde, Holmes and Watson, Jeeves and Wooster.
Which brings me to Defoe’s final quality as a writer. He was the complete professional, dipped in ink. Throughout his life, he produced pamphlets, squibs, narrative verse and ghosted ephemera (he is said to have used almost 200 pen names). He was a man who liked to be paid for what he wrote, lived well and was almost always in debt. He was not a “literary novelist”, and would not have understood the term, but his classic novel is English literature at its finest, and he hit the jackpot with Robinson Crusoe.
By the end of the 19th century, no book in English literary history had enjoyed more editions, spin-offs and translations than Robinson Crusoe, with more than 700 alternative versions, including illustrated children’s versions. The now-forgotten term “Robinsonade” was coined to describe the Crusoe genre, which still flourishes and was recently revived by Hollywood in the Tom Hanks film, Castaway (2000).
Note on the text:
The text was first published in London by W Taylor on 25 April 1719. This first edition credited the work’s fictional protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, and its title was The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner: Written by Himself. It sold well; four months later, it was followed by The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. A year later, riding high on the market, came Serious Reflections During the Life and Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. Most readers will only encounter the first edition.
2fuzzi
>1 Helenliz: thanks for making the thread! I started Robinson Crusoe last night, and found it engaging enough to read just past my bedtime.
3MarthaJeanne
I think the edition I downloaded from Gutenberg also includes further adventures.
4Helenliz
How's everyone doing?
I'm about half way through. Our titular character has been a typical young fool and headed off to sea. I know what his father is trying to tell him, but it's the kind of thing that never sounds good to a youngster.
He's arrived at his island and has managed to salvage a lot of goods from the ship. The exploring of the island and the getting of food to survive is interesting. The route to religion I found somewhat spurious - but the edition I have puts this into context; at the time that this was written, it would have seemed a lot more normal and likely.
He strikes me as still a bit impetuous. Be interesting to see how this ends up. So far it has not been what I expected, it far more adult and a lot more than a simple adventure story than I had the impression of it being.
I'm about half way through. Our titular character has been a typical young fool and headed off to sea. I know what his father is trying to tell him, but it's the kind of thing that never sounds good to a youngster.
He's arrived at his island and has managed to salvage a lot of goods from the ship. The exploring of the island and the getting of food to survive is interesting. The route to religion I found somewhat spurious - but the edition I have puts this into context; at the time that this was written, it would have seemed a lot more normal and likely.
He strikes me as still a bit impetuous. Be interesting to see how this ends up. So far it has not been what I expected, it far more adult and a lot more than a simple adventure story than I had the impression of it being.
5fuzzi
>4 Helenliz: I finished reading Robinson Crusoe last night. It wasn't what I'd expected, either, but I liked it.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
This was a classic that I'd missed reading for over five decades but determined to attempt this year. It was an enjoyable read, believable, and kept my interest throughout the tale.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
This was a classic that I'd missed reading for over five decades but determined to attempt this year. It was an enjoyable read, believable, and kept my interest throughout the tale.
6fuzzi
Aha! I thought I'd misremembered one part of the story that I'd absorbed through just hearing about it, but the writer of the introduction in the OP is wrong about Friday's footprint. The footprint in the sand does NOT belong to Friday, as it is spotted by Crusoe months/years before they actually meet.
7MarthaJeanne
I have read this before, but not for a long time.
Regarding other Robinsonades
Swiss Family Robinson (1812) is one of the best known. I'm fairly sure that I reread it nine or ten years ago in German, but I wasn't entering library books then. Note the title - not their name, but to make readers know what sort of book it is. They have the advantage of being a family, and knowing a lot more what they are about.
The Mysterious Island (1875) is Jules Verne's version, including the US Civil War, a hot air balloon, and again a group, this time all knowledgeable. This was a real favourite of mine as a teenager. I should probably reread this, too.
Searching for Robinsonade in talk finds several mentions, including this one from Tim which was the fist time I remember reading it. https://www.librarything.com/topic/193339#5215600
Regarding other Robinsonades
Swiss Family Robinson (1812) is one of the best known. I'm fairly sure that I reread it nine or ten years ago in German, but I wasn't entering library books then. Note the title - not their name, but to make readers know what sort of book it is. They have the advantage of being a family, and knowing a lot more what they are about.
The Mysterious Island (1875) is Jules Verne's version, including the US Civil War, a hot air balloon, and again a group, this time all knowledgeable. This was a real favourite of mine as a teenager. I should probably reread this, too.
Searching for Robinsonade in talk finds several mentions, including this one from Tim which was the fist time I remember reading it. https://www.librarything.com/topic/193339#5215600
8fuzzi
If anyone likes the "how I survived the wilderness" type of books, I highly recommend My Side of the Mountain, which is totally believable.
9Helenliz
I've finished this now. I'm not sure it was what I expected. I'm glad I've finally read it, but I don't see it being a book I return to repeatedly. I'm quite pleased I read an edition with some end notes, as that helped put some of the oddities in the book into some kind of perspective.
My review is on the book page and my thread.
My review is on the book page and my thread.
10whitewavedarling
I'm just dropping in to say I made it most of the way through, but couldn't quite finish in August. I think I've got about 40 pages left... I'm glad to finally be reading it, but as others have said, it's not what I expected. It's quite a bit dryer, and I'm afraid it's more than once caused me to remember why I'm glad to be out of academia, and focused on reading for pleasure instead of what I feel that I need to read. But, still, it has it's moments, and I'm glad this groupread pushed me to finally pick it up!
